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Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Today, The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (“CARAS”) announced their nominations for the 40th Annual Juno Awards for Canadian music. Former Degrassi actor Aubrey Drake Graham, a.k.a. Drake, leads the nominations with six, including album of the year and rap recording of the year. He is also the host of the event, which takes place on March 27 in Toronto.

Following closely behind, there was a five-way tie with four nominations each between Arcade Fire, Justin Bieber, Broken Social Scene, Hedley and Johnny Reid.

Singer-songwriter Neil Young will receive the 2011 Allan Waters Humanitarian Award. He was a co-founder of Farm Aid, and created The Bridge School with his wife Pegi for the education of children with severe speech and physical impairments.
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Complete list of 2011 Juno Award Nominees

JUNO FAN CHOICE AWARD (PRESENTED BY LIVE NATION)

Cash Money*Universal

Drake

This astronomical rise to success continued into 2010 with the release of his major label debut album Thank Me Later.
After several setbacks from its original October 2009 release date, the
album was released on June 15th, 2010 preceded by lead single “Over,”
which peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at No. 1 on the Hot Rap
Songs chart. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Album Chart
and has since been certified platinum by the RIAA for sales of
approximately 1,100,000 copies in the U.S. to date. It produced three
further singles which attained chart success; “Find Your Love,” “Miss
Me” (feat. Lil’ Wayne) and “Fancy” (feat. T.I. & Swizz Beatz).04 Over – clip

Universal

Hedley

Hedley’s THE SHOW MUST GO ranges from the
electro-tinged opener “Cha-Ching,” about reality television’s
intoxicating allure, and the rap-inflected “Don’t Talk to Strangers,” a
jaundiced look at cougar women on the prowl, to such unabashedly sweet
love songs as the piano ballad “Amazing” and the reggae feel-good number
“Shelter.” Characteristically Hedley, there’s also such odes to
hedonism as the hilarious “Young and Stupid” and the riotous “Nine
Shades of Red,” which describes one of Hedley’s typically boisterous
nights on the town. They may not be rocket surgeons, saving lives or
saving the world, but Hedley is clearly making a contribution to the
music scene. From the fizzy pop-punk of its debut to the sophisticated
pop-rock of THE SHOW MUST GO, Hedley continues to prove that mixing
frivolity with thoughtfulness and showmanship with songcraft is the best
formula for success.08 – Perfect – Hedley – clip

Johnny Mac*EMI

Johnny Reid

The driving force behind Johnny Reid’s, A PLACE
CALLED LOVE, is as universal as it is straightforward. With his first
release on EMI/Johnny Mac Entertainment in Canada, Reid takes on love in
all its myriad forms; exploring both the intensity of his feelings for
his closest family, and the enduring gratitude he has for those who have
helped him become one of Canada’s most successful recording artists of
the past decade. “One of the greatest relationships I have, apart from
my family, is the relationship I have with the people who come out and
see my shows and buy my records. The longer I’m given the opportunity to
record songs and sing them, the deeper that relationship becomes. My
hope is that this record will take them to a place of peace, or to a
place that’s a great memory, someplace that resonates with them as A
Place Called Love.”02 – Today I’m Gonna Try and Change the World – Johnny Reid – clip

Island Def Jam*Universal

Justin Bieber

A virtually untapped well of natural artistic
talent, Justin Bieber is primed to be a solid force in music for many
years to come. “I think older people can appreciate my music because I
really show my heart when I sing, and it’s not corny,” he says. “I think
I can grow as an artist and my fans will grow with me.” And just think,
he’s just getting started.01 – Baby [feat. Ludacris] – Justin Bieber – clip

WEA*Warner

Michael Bublé

CRAZY LOVE, Michael Bublé’s first
studio recording in 2-1/2 years, features two original songs along with
his always unique take on 11 standards from various eras. The
multi-Grammy and JUNO Award-winning artist hunkered down in recording
studios in LA, Brooklyn, New York and his hometown of Vancouver for the
last six months to make his “ultimate record about the inevitable roller
coaster ride of relationships.” The album’s first single, “Haven’t Met
You Yet,” was written by Bublé (with Alan Chang and Amy Foster).
Additional tunes on the album include “Cry Me A River,” “You’re Nobody
Till Somebody Loves You,” “Georgia On My Mind,” “Baby (You’ve Got What
It Takes)” which was performed with Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings, and a
haunting version of “Stardust” which was performed with the acapella
group Naturally 7. The title song is a cover of the Van Morrison gem
“Crazy Love.” Bublé also performs a duet with Canadian songwriter Ron
Sexsmith on a version Sexsmith’s Top 5 hit, “Whatever It Takes.” The
album was produced by David Foster, Bob Rock and Humberto Gatica.01 Haven’t Met You Yet – clip

SINGLE OF THE YEAR

HalfLife*Sony

Classified

Oh Canada

Oh Canada

Self Explanatory is
the 11th studio album and major label debut from East-Coast hip-hop
heavyweight Classified. The album contains 22 songs and a unique way of
listening to the entire body of work. Throughout Self Explanatory,
Luke Boyd challenges the listener to create their own adventure as they
progress from track to track. Want to go to the club? Go to Track 17.
Tired, and want to go home? Go to Track 22. If you want to go for a
quick bike ride and a date with your girl, go to Track 7 and if you want
to reflect on life and re-affirm your inspiration, go to Track 6. Each
adventure reveals different shades of the artist, Classified, who has
created a unique place for himself in an art form that isn’t always true
to its own path.10 Oh…Canada – clip

Cash Money*Universal

Drake

Find Your Love

Find Your Love

This astronomical rise to success continued into 2010 with the release of his major label debut album Thank Me Later.
After several setbacks from its original October 2009 release date, the
album was released on June 15th, 2010 preceded by lead single “Over,”
which peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at No. 1 on the Hot Rap
Songs chart. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Album Chart
and has since been certified platinum by the RIAA for sales of
approximately 1,100,000 copies in the U.S. to date. It produced three
further singles which attained chart success; “Find Your Love,” “Miss
Me” (feat. Lil’ Wayne) and “Fancy” (feat. T.I. & Swizz Beatz).01 Find Your Love – clip

Universal

Hedley

Perfect

Perfect

Hedley’s THE SHOW MUST GO
ranges from the electro-tinged opener “Cha-Ching,” about reality
television’s intoxicating allure, and the rap-inflected “Don’t Talk to
Strangers,” a jaundiced look at cougar women on the prowl, to such
unabashedly sweet love songs as the piano ballad “Amazing” and the
reggae feel-good number “Shelter.” Characteristically Hedley, there’s
also such odes to hedonism as the hilarious “Young and Stupid” and the
riotous “Nine Shades of Red,” which describes one of Hedley’s typically
boisterous nights on the town. They may not be rocket surgeons, saving
lives or saving the world, but Hedley is clearly making a contribution
to the music scene. From the fizzy pop-punk of its debut to the
sophisticated pop-rock of THE SHOW MUST GO, Hedley continues to prove
that mixing frivolity with thoughtfulness and showmanship with songcraft
is the best formula for success.08 – Perfect – Hedley – clip

Nonesuch*Warner

kd lang

Hallelujah Vancouver Winter 2010

Hallelujah Vancouver Winter 2010

k.d.
lang is that rare performer who, over 25 years as a major-label artist,
has matured before our very ears. The Western Canada native launched her
career with a blend of country-rock stylings and playfully punk-like
attitude, by turns whimsical and subversive; back then, she practically
put the alternative in alt-country. But from the very beginning, her
bravura singing belied her kitschy cowgirl outfits and spiky hair;
anyone lucky enough to attend her very first appearance in the United
States, on a triple bill of unsigned artists at New York City’s Bottom
Line, could hear that she was marked for greatness.01 Hallelujah (2010 Version) – clip

Universal

Young Artists for Haiti

Wavin’ Flag

Wavin’ Flag

On Thursday, February 18,
2010, a diverse group of 57 Canadian artists gathered at The Warehouse
Studio in Vancouver, BC to re-record of hip-hop artist K’NAAN’s “Wavin’
Flag.” This rendition, which has become an anthem for Canada’s Haitian
relief efforts, was performed live by K’NAAN and an all-star cast on
April 18th at the 2010 JUNO Awards from St. John’s, NL. Produced by
Canadian music icon, Bob Ezrin (Peter Gabriel, Alice Cooper, KISS, Pink
Floyd), and made possible by the support of the Slaight family, some of
the talented musicians that lent their voices for Young Artists For
Haiti include: Justin Bieber, Jully Black, Pierre Bouvier from Simple
Plan, Broken Social Scene, Tyler Connelly from Theory Of A Deadman, Fefe
Dobson, Drake, Elisapie Isaac, Esthero, Nelly Furtado, Emily Haines
from Metric, Jacob Hoggard from Hedley, Ima, Chin Injeti, K’NAAN, Pierre
LaPointe, Avril Lavigne, Lights, Matt Mays, Justin Nozuka, Kardinal
Offishall, Sam Roberts, Serena Ryder, Deryck Whibley from Sum 41,
Hawksley Workman and Nikki Yanofsky.01 – Wavin’ Flag – Young Artists for Haiti – clip

INTERNATIONAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Interscope*Universal

Eminem

Recovery

Recovery

On April 13, 2010, Eminem
tweeted, “There is no Relapse 2″, to his followers. When he tweeted
this, people started to believe that he was not releasing an album at
all, but it simply meant that the album title would be changed to
Recovery. He confirmed this by tweeting, “RECOVERY”, with a link to his
website. Eminem said, “I had originally planned for Relapse 2 to come
out last year. But as I kept recording and working with new producers,
the idea of a sequel to Relapse started to make less and less sense to
me, and I wanted to make a completely new album. The music on Recovery
came out very different from Relapse, and I think it deserves its own
title.” His seventh studio album, Recovery, was released on June 21. In
the US, Recovery sold 741,000 in its first week to land atop the
Billboard 200.

Capitol*EMI

Katy Perry

Teenage Dream

Teenage Dream

When it came time to make
her exhilarating second album “Teenage Dream,” Katy found herself
increasingly drawn back home to Santa Barbara, Calif. Back to where they
knew her before she became a superstar. Before she kissed a girl and
liked it. And, certainly, before she sold 5 million copies of her
Capitol Records blockbuster, “One of the Boys.” “I love the vibe that
Santa Barbara gives off and I wanted to really tap into the purity of my
childhood and that feeling,” says the two-time Grammy nominated singer.
“It was really fun to get away and walk into the studio with no make-up
on.” “Teenage Dream,” out Aug. 24, will move you, both emotionally and
physically. “When I was touring, I wanted people to dance more,” Katy
says. “So I wrote an album that made people move, yet didn’t sacrifice
the story substance that I had on the last record.” The album, whose
producers include Max Martin, Tricky Stewart, Stargate, Dr. Luke and
Greg Wells, is a glorious evolution from “One of The Boys,” It showcases
an artist who dares us to join her as she experiences every facet of
life.

RCA*Sony

Ke$ha

Animal

Animal

When Ke$ha was 17, she quit high
school, “which was crazy because I was enrolled in an International
Baccalaureate program and was going to go to Columbia University and
study psychology,” she says, “but I wanted to move back to L.A. and
pursue my music.” That’s when she met Dr. Luke. “I had been looking for a
female artist with an incredible, distinctive voice who had her own
style,” Luke says. “Ke$ha didn’t sound like anybody else.” Ke$ha’s
style and ambition is best described in her own words, “I may seem kind
of crazy, but behind it all I have my s**t together. I’m working really
hard to make this happen and it’s nice to see that hard work pay off. I
mean, three years ago I was stealing canned vegetables from the dollar
store to survive. Now I’m on a No. 1 song, working on my album, and have
a little change in my pocket. To be able to take my mom out to dinner
is the best feeling in the world.”

Capitol Nashville*EMI

Lady Antebellum

Need You Now

Need You Now

With male and female
front-people, Hillary says, “I think we’re able to say so much more and
reach so many more people. Because there’s no way that I could have been
able to put my vocal on a song like ‘Hello World’ and make it
believable like Charles did.” The diffused focus also makes for a more
dynamic live experience. “When it’s a song I’m singing lead on, Charles
and Dave can go be buddy-buddy on stage. When Charles and I do a duet,
we can, without being too theatrical, almost play out the songs and tell
the story a little bit more, whether we’re making it dramatic or fun
and flirty.” Charles agrees: “Having the two lead vocals there can take
people into different journeys. And I think there are people who are
just naturally gonna gravitate to her voice that aren’t gonna gravitate
to mine, and vice versa. And then on top of it, you’ve got this harmony
potential, with Dave. It warms it up so much. We definitely feel very
fortunate that we found each other and it all happened.”

Big Machine/Open Road*Universal

Taylor Swift

Speak Now

Speak Now

Taylor Swift is a four-time
Grammy winner, the top-selling digital artist in music history, has had
singles top both the Country and Pop radio charts, and had the #1
best-selling album in any genre of music in 2009. This year, at the age
of 20, she became the youngest artist in history to win the music
industry’s highest honour, the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Also
at the 2010 Grammys, she took home the awards for Country Album of the
Year, Best Country Song, and Best Country Female Vocal Performance. Her
6x-Platinum FEARLESS album is the most awarded album in Country music
history. Taylor is slated to play 85 shows in 18 countries in 2011.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR (SPONSORED BY CANADIAN RECORDING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION)

Sonovox*F.A.B.

Arcade Fire

The Suburbs

The Suburbs

The suburbs have always
spawned poets who flee to the world’s great cities. Montréal’s Arcade
Fire, however, return to the landscapes of their youth and return with The Suburbs:
songs that draw on themes of loss and renewal, of drawing inspiration
from scarcity, of generations past and future, of responsibility and
maturity, of hoping that something pure can last. The Suburbs,
like its namesake, revels in open space, reflections on long drives, and
contemplating possibilities. Lyrics decrying wasted time, arms folded
tight, and cities with no children, are set to sparse pop, icy new wave
epics, anthemetic punk and lush balladry — all delivered with a breadth
and beauty that expands the palette of a band that has never settled for
the easy route out of town.02 – Ready To Start – Arcade Fire – Clip

Cash Money*Universal

Drake

Thank me Later

Thank me Later

This astronomical rise to success continued into 2010 with the release of his major label debut album Thank Me Later.
After several setbacks from its original October 2009 release date, the
album was released on June 15th, 2010 preceded by lead single “Over,”
which peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at No. 1 on the Hot Rap
Songs chart. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Album Chart
and has since been certified platinum by the RIAA for sales of
approximately 1,100,000 copies in the U.S. to date. It produced three
further singles which attained chart success; “Find Your Love,” “Miss
Me” (feat. Lil’ Wayne) and “Fancy” (feat. T.I. & Swizz Beatz).04 Over – clip

Universal

Hedley

The Show Must Go

The Show Must Go

Hedley’s THE SHOW MUST
GO ranges from the electro-tinged opener “Cha-Ching,” about reality
television’s intoxicating allure, and the rap-inflected “Don’t Talk to
Strangers,” a jaundiced look at cougar women on the prowl, to such
unabashedly sweet love songs as the piano ballad “Amazing” and the
reggae feel-good number “Shelter.” Characteristically Hedley, there’s
also such odes to hedonism as the hilarious “Young and Stupid” and the
riotous “Nine Shades of Red,” which describes one of Hedley’s typically
boisterous nights on the town. They may not be rocket surgeons, saving
lives or saving the world, but Hedley is clearly making a contribution
to the music scene. From the fizzy pop-punk of its debut to the
sophisticated pop-rock of THE SHOW MUST GO, Hedley continues to prove
that mixing frivolity with thoughtfulness and showmanship with songcraft
is the best formula for success.08 – Perfect – Hedley – clip

Johnny Mac*EMI

Johnny Reid

A Place Called Love

A Place Called Love

The driving force
behind Johnny Reid’s, A PLACE CALLED LOVE, is as universal as it is
straightforward. With his first release on EMI/Johnny Mac Entertainment
in Canada, Reid takes on love in all its myriad forms; exploring both
the intensity of his feelings for his closest family, and the enduring
gratitude he has for those who have helped him become one of Canada’s
most successful recording artists of the past decade. “One of the
greatest relationships I have, apart from my family, is the relationship
I have with the people who come out and see my shows and buy my
records. The longer I’m given the opportunity to record songs and sing
them, the deeper that relationship becomes. My hope is that this record
will take them to a place of peace, or to a place that’s a great memory,
someplace that resonates with them as A Place Called Love.”02 – Today I’m Gonna Try and Change the World – Johnny Reid – clip

Island Def Jam*Universal

Justin Bieber

My World 2.0

My World 2.0

A virtually untapped well
of natural artistic talent, Justin Bieber is primed to be a solid force
in music for many years to come. “I think older people can appreciate my
music because I really show my heart when I sing, and it’s not corny,”
he says. “I think I can grow as an artist and my fans will grow with
me.” And just think, he’s just getting started.01 – Baby [feat. Ludacris] – Justin Bieber – clip

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Cash Money*Universal

Drake

This astronomical rise to success continued into 2010 with the release of his major label debut album Thank Me Later.
After several setbacks from its original October 2009 release date, the
album was released on June 15th, 2010 preceded by lead single “Over,”
which peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at No. 1 on the Hot Rap
Songs chart. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Album Chart
and has since been certified platinum by the RIAA for sales of
approximately 1,100,000 copies in the U.S. to date. It produced three
further singles which attained chart success; “Find Your Love,” “Miss
Me” (feat. Lil’ Wayne) and “Fancy” (feat. T.I. & Swizz Beatz).04 Over – clip

Johnny Mac*EMI

Johnny Reid

The driving force behind Johnny Reid’s, A PLACE
CALLED LOVE, is as universal as it is straightforward. With his first
release on EMI/Johnny Mac Entertainment in Canada, Reid takes on love in
all its myriad forms; exploring both the intensity of his feelings for
his closest family, and the enduring gratitude he has for those who have
helped him become one of Canada’s most successful recording artists of
the past decade. “One of the greatest relationships I have, apart from
my family, is the relationship I have with the people who come out and
see my shows and buy my records. The longer I’m given the opportunity to
record songs and sing them, the deeper that relationship becomes. My
hope is that this record will take them to a place of peace, or to a
place that’s a great memory, someplace that resonates with them as A
Place Called Love.”02 – Today I’m Gonna Try and Change the World – Johnny Reid – clip

Island Def Jam*Universal

Justin Bieber

A virtually untapped well of natural artistic
talent, Justin Bieber is primed to be a solid force in music for many
years to come. “I think older people can appreciate my music because I
really show my heart when I sing, and it’s not corny,” he says. “I think
I can grow as an artist and my fans will grow with me.” And just think,
he’s just getting started.01 – Baby [feat. Ludacris] – Justin Bieber – clip

Reprise*Warner

Neil Young

Neil Percival Young, (born November 12, 1945)
is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the
most influential musicians of his generation. Young began performing as a
solo artist in Canada in 1960, before moving to California in 1966,
where he co-founded the band Buffalo Springfield along with Stephen
Stills, and later joined Crosby, Stills and Nash as a fourth member in
1969. He then forged a successful and acclaimed solo career; releasing
his first album in 1968; his career has since spanned more than 40 years
and 37 studio albums, with a continual and uncompromising exploration
of musical styles. Young’s latest masterpiece, LE NOISE, is an
eight-song album collaboration with legendary producer/songwriter Daniel
Lanois, which Young subsequently documented in a 39-minute film posted
on YouTube. Young is a five-time JUNO Award winner and was inducted to
the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1982 and twice to the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame. In 2009 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and
in 2010 was named the MusiCares Person of the Year by The National
Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. He is also the 2011 Allan
Waters Humanitarian Award recipient.01 – Walk with Me – Neil Young – Clip

Nettwerk*Sony

Sarah McLachlan

Since her signing with Arista Records nearly
two decades ago, every one of Sarah McLachlan’s studio and live albums
has been certified gold, platinum, or multi-platinum by the RIAA. TOUCH (1988) and SOLACE (1991) were both gold sellers. Her 1994 breakthrough, the 3X-platinum FUMBLING THROUGH ECSTASY, was followed by the digitally enhanced multimedia version of THE FREEDOM SESSIONS
(1995, gold). “I never have set goals, in the sense that I expected to
be successful or get to a certain place. My idea of success has always
been, does it feel right? Does it feel good to me? Do I enjoy doing it?
And somehow miraculously, I’ve been able to follow that path and have a
great success at it.” “So this whole career, the life that I have, the
opportunities that I’ve been given—it all comes as unexpected. Every
day I pinch myself, you know? I can’t believe all this has happened to
me.”03 – Loving You Is Easy – Sarah McLachlan – clip

GROUP OF THE YEAR

Sonovox*F.A.B.

Arcade Fire

The suburbs have always spawned poets who flee
to the world’s great cities. Montréal’s Arcade Fire, however, return to
the landscapes of their youth and return with The Suburbs:
songs that draw on themes of loss and renewal, of drawing inspiration
from scarcity, of generations past and future, of responsibility and
maturity, of hoping that something pure can last. The Suburbs,
like its namesake, revels in open space, reflections on long drives, and
contemplating possibilities. Lyrics decrying wasted time, arms folded
tight, and cities with no children, are set to sparse pop, icy new wave
epics, anthemetic punk and lush balladry — all delivered with a breadth
and beauty that expands the palette of a band that has never settled for
the easy route out of town.02 – Ready To Start – Arcade Fire – Clip

Arts & Crafts*EMI

Broken Social Scene

Broken Social Scene (BSS) remains one of the
most significant manifestations of Canada’s burgeoning indie rock
movement, a sprawling and relentlessly creative collective that has
produced some of the nation’s most dynamic musical accomplishments.
Materializing at the start of the 2000s with the lo-fi atmospheric
recordings of K.C. Accidental’s Kevin Drew and By Divine Right’s Brendan
Canning, the band debuted with 2001’s Feel Good Lost and
introduced a string of household names into the Canadian musical
consciousness. Broken Social Scene’s profile, and its roster, exploded
with the 2002 release of You Forgot It In People. With
appearances from Leslie Feist, Jason Collett and a host of others, the
album garnered worldwide attention, and landed Broken Social Scene a
JUNO Award for Alternative Album of The Year. 2004 saw the well-received
B-sides and rarities collection Bee Hives, and in 2005 BSS released its
third, self-titled full length. In Spring 2010, BSS returned
triumphantly with Forgiveness Rock Record, a sonically refined offering that garnered universally glowing reviews and debuted at No. 1 in Canada.03 – Texico Bitches – Broken Social Scene – clip

Universal Motown*Universal

Down With Webster

Down With Webster (DWW) is Bucky on vocals, Pat
on vocals and guitars, Tyler on bass and keys, Marty on drums, Cam on
vocals, Kap as Hype Man, and Diggy the DJ. The seven-member,
genre-bending, musical juggernaut draws on disparate influences to
create a wholly original musical feast. Their chaotic live shows are the
stuff of local legend, selling 1000+ tickets as headliners in their
hometown of Toronto as an indie band before ever releasing a single or
video. The band writes, produces and performs all of their music,
garnering attention from industry veterans as varied as Timbaland and
KISS front man Gene Simmons, both of whom wanted to sign the band to
their respective labels. DWW won the Rogers Mobile/Universal Music best
unsigned artist in Canada contest in 2008. Their Universal Motown debut,
Time To Win, vol.I, was the first of two seven-track mini-albums, followed by Time To Win, vol. II which was released Spring 2010.02 – Whoa Is Me – Down With Webster – clip

WEA*Warner

Great Big Sea

On March 11, 2010, Great Big Sea celebrated
their 17th birthday as a band. “No one is more surprised than us that
we have lasted almost 18 years,” points out lead singer Alan Doyle.
“Like most bands, when we started we were just looking forward to the
next tour, the next show or the next song. Then, after a few years we
realized that we liked doing this more than anything else. So we kept
going.” Their latest album, Safe Upon The Shore, reflects the
newest twists in their original plan. The album is a feast of creative
impulses, recorded in fits and starts over a six-month period. Some of
it was recorded in New Orleans with producer Steve Berlin, while other
songs were recorded at the band’s studio in St. John’s, NL. The band
used guerrilla setups to record the rest of it on tour buses and in
various dressing rooms.02 – Nothing But A Song – Great Big Sea – Clip

Jive*Sony

Three Days Grace

Three Days Grace has built a dedicated and
ever-growing fan base over the course of two platinum albums and years
of touring across North America. A sense of adventure permeates their
latest release, Life Starts Now, which the Toronto-based band began writing after coming off the road for One-X
in April 2008. Though the album doesn’t skimp on Gontier’s trademark
anguished vocals, Barry Stock’s urgent riffs, or Sanderson and Walst’s
thunderous rhythm section, the band knew that they had evolved as
musicians, thanks to hundreds of live shows, and wanted to capture it in
their sound. To help them reach their goals, Three Days Grace reunited
with producer Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, Motorhead, Papa Roach,
P.O.D), who produced One-X. The result is an album that brims
with confidence, musicality, and accessibility, that is certain to
please long-time followers while getting Three Days Grace even more
attention from rock music fans everywhere.02 – Break – Three Days Grace – clip

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR (SPONSORED BY FACTOR AND RADIO STARMAKER FUND)

Secret City*EMI

Basia Bulat

In 2006, Basia went to live in Montréal and
through friends she met Howard Bilerman, an engineer and co-owner of the
famed Hotel 2 Tango studio. Initially the recordings were meant only as
an “audible memory” of the time Basia spent with friends in London and
Montréal. But Bilerman, smitten with Basia’s songs, began to write to
friends at labels, friends with music-blogs, anyone who might pay
attention. It’s this spark that sets Basia Bulat apart from the raft of
typical singer-songwriters, and also what attracted the interest of
Geoff Travis and Britain’s legendary Rough Trade label – who released Oh My Darling
in Europe and Japan in the Spring of 2007. The album was released in
North America shortly thereafter, and has since gone on to worldwide
acclaim. It garnered a Polaris Prize nomination in 2008, and rave
reviews from everyone from NPR and Q. Her new offering, Heart Of My Own, was born after over a year of touring that took Bulat across Europe, Australia, Canada and the U.S. several times over.05 – Heart of My Own – Basia Bulat – Clip

Mungo Park* Sélect

Bobby Bazini

Singer songwriter Bobby Bazini was born in
Mont-Laurier, a small peaceful town north of Montréal. Bazini grew up
surrounded by music, and one day while at his grandmother’s house, he
discovered the music that would change his world and fill his heart: a
full collection of Johnny Cash vinyls. This along with the rural setting
became the canvas of his music, as he started to write songs. At age
16, his influences turned to soul music as he discovered artists like;
Otis Redding, Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, Al Green and Ben E. King. Ready
and excited to finally introduce his work, Bazini began performing at
local venues around town. His voice, his unique tone and delivery along
with his compositional style immediately touched all that witnessed it.
The contradiction between such an old soul in such a young body amazed
everyone. In a chance meeting, a radio station was so impressed with
Bazini that he sent one of his new songs to a manager in Montréal. A
debut album was born…Better in Time. The rest is now history.04 – I Wonder – Bobby Bazini – clip

Merge*F.A.B.

Caribou

Swim is Caribou’s masterpiece and the
record Dan Snaith has wanted to bring to fruition for as long as he has
been making music. Snaith has been a leading figure in electronic music
over the past decade. A mathematics scholar and ingenious
multi-instrumentalist/composer, he surprised critics and fans with
2007’s Andorra, a brilliant, electro-tinged pop breakthrough. After the startling infectiousness of Andorra, Swim
is a more complex, multi-layered affair—rife with fascinating rhythms,
instrumentation, and vocals that become more alluring with each listen.
“This is the record I’m most proud of because it’s the most ‘me’ in the
way things sound; I feel like I have my own vocabulary now,” says
Snaith. “So much of contemporary music is soaked in referencing this or
that. I wanted people to put the record on and not be able to say, ‘This
sounds like so-and-so.’ I want people to say, ‘This sounds like Dan!’
It’s what everybody wants—to have their fingerprint on the music they’re
making. I feel like I’ve achieved that to a greater extent than I have
in the past, and that’s exciting.”01 – Odessa – Caribou – clip

Hidden Pony*EMI

Hannah Georgas

Hannah Georgas released her debut full-length album, This Is Good,
in her native Canada this past April on Hidden Pony Records creating an
instant splash, landing the May cover of Canada’s only national music
monthly, Exclaim! The album, produced by Howard Redekopp (Tegan
and Sara/New Pornographers) and Ryan Guldemond (Mother Mother),
features infectious mix of pop-rock gems and folky tenderness that
brings to mind elements of Feist and Basia Bulat. Georgas was named by
CBC Radio 3 as Best New Artist in 2009, and her album was highly-buzzed
about even before its release. It garnered glowing reviews in The Globe & Mail and The National Post
along with almost every daily and weekly paper across Canada, and was
named to the long-list for the Polaris Music Prize. Georgas performed
in September at the Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg, at the Osheaga Music
Festival in Montréal and took part in The Malahat Revue, cycling and
performing across British Columbia with Jeremy Fisher, Aidan Knight and
Said The Whale.03 – Dancefloor – Hannah Georgas – clip

Sire/WEA*Warner

Meaghan Smith

Meaghan Smith is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist. Talking about her independently-recorded debut album, The Cricket’s Orchestra
, Smith says: “Les (Cooper) and I put our heads together and decided to
create my musical world by using a string quartet, an eight-piece horn
section, guitars, keys, upright bass, a clarinet, some flutes, and even
an Omnichord. We used Mellotron samples in place of a modern band
because we loved the quirky, vintage vibe they brought to the songs, and
topped it all off with some turntable scratches. The result is an ideal
blend of old and new.” The Cricket’s Orchestra, was picked up
by Sire Records/Warner Music Canada and released in early 2010. Smith
also received a great deal of exposure by contributing a cover of
alternative rock group Pixies’ “Here Comes Your Man” to the soundtrack
of 2009′s (500) Days of Summer, featuring Smith playing an Omnichord.02 – I Know – Meaghan Smith – clip

NEW GROUP OF THE YEAR (SPONSORED BY FACTOR AND RADIO STARMAKER FUND)

WEA*Warner

Die Mannequin

Lead singer Care Failure is, by her own
admission, a bit of a mess. A bona fide rock star, yes – if you’ve seen
her perform, that much is undeniable, just a genetic fact – but she’s
not the sort who is merely mastered the cosmetic arts of the calling. At
the age of 22, the volatile Die Mannequin frontwoman has already
weathered more pure, textbook rock ‘n’ roll experience than dozens of
leather-and-tattoos poseurs twice her age. One listen to Die Mannequin’s
full-length Warner Music debut, Fino + Bleed, will tell you –
as visceral and honest and full-on as any art one might expect a decade
of premature “hard living” to yield. To scenesters in Die Mannequin’s
native Toronto, Fino + Bleed has been in the works for
something like forever. And, in many respects, it has – Care was
literally plucked from the streets by former EMI Publishing Canada
president Michael McCarty and vice-president Barb Sedun at 17, and given
the sort of time to develop within the music industry infrastructure
once accorded to the likes of Bruce Springsteen and R.E.M., but is now
supposedly a thing of the past.06 – Bad Medicine – Die Mannequin – clip

Royal Mountain*Arts & Crafts/EMI

Hollerado

Hollerado is four friends that grew up on the
same street in tiny Manotick, Ontario. They’ve become one of the most
lovable groups on the planet thanks to their insanely catchy and
energetic guitar pop, boundless creativity and a relentless DIY
approach. Starting from the humblest beginnings as a moving company
called Haulerado in 2006, charismatic lead singer/guitarist Menno
Versteeg, lead guitarist Nixon Boyd, his brother and drummer Jake Boyd
and bassist Dean Baxter found countless, colourful and improbable ways
to bring their music to the world…Demos in plastic baggies and
eventually a whole record in one, the band’s full-length debut Record In A Bag was released on Royal Mountain Records via Arts & Crafts in February 2010. Their videos have starred Kids In The Hall’s
Dave Foley, Margot Kidder aka Lois Lane, and most recently featured
“Human 8-Bit” antics in their sensational video for “Americanarama.”
Hollerado also invented the Residency Tour and has played with some of
the most critically lauded names in music including Weezer, The Black
Lips, The Cribs, Andrew W.K., Titus Andronicus, Girl Talk and The Dead
Weather.03 – Juliette – Hollerado – clip

Mr. Label*Outside/Select

Misteur Valaire

Put five 23-year-old guys who’ve known each
other since they were six years old, give them a trumpet, a saxophone,
sequencers, percussions, turntables, a drum, a bass and a couple of
keyboards, and you get Misteur Valaire (MV). MV’s style is neither
electro or hip-hop, nor is it jazz or rock. In fact, it’s a wild mix of
all that, with brass, samplings and beats to make you dance all night!
The quintet offers an impressive show in a setting reminiscent of a 1979
studio, creating a real cinematic experience. With their third album, Golden Bombay,
MV solidifies their creative talents, making their music more
accessible with an international scope. An impressive team of guest
singers has been invited on the album (Bran Van 3000, Senja Sargeant of
Ladies of the Canyon, Fanny Bloom of La Patère Rose). MV believes that
music should be distributed freely to reach a maximum of fans. This
marketing formula was first applied to their previous album Friterday Night which found more than 50,000 downloaders to date, and their latest album is also available for free.01 – Brandon Marlow – Misteur Valaire – clip

604*Universal

My Darkest Days

The world doesn’t yet belong to My Darkest
Days, but they’ve come a long way since singer/guitarist Matt Walst,
drummer Doug Oliver and bassist Brendan McMillan started the band in the
small town of Norwood, ON, where they grew up. Influenced by hard rock
groups like Nirvana, Tool and Deftones, along with the songwriting
approach of the Beatles, Walst got a first-hand glimpse at what it takes
to succeed from his older brother Brad, bassist and co-founder of
platinum rock band Three Days Grace, which helped when the group set out
to record their debut, self-titled album. Taking their name from those
moments where Matt Walst says he draws his songwriting inspiration, My Darkest Days
combines the rowdy celebration of rock sexuality alongside more
personal observations about relationships. The salacious “Move Your
Body” with leering lyrics such as “you come on tapping at your back
door, baby,” and the sensual reggae world beat of “Setitonfire,” are
balanced by autobiographical tales like “Every Lie,” “Like Nobody Else”
and the country twang of “Come Undone,” featuring sassy vocals from yet
another label mate, the comely Jessie James.02 – Porn Star Dancing – My Darkest Days – clip

Hidden Pony*EMI

Said The Whale

Said The Whale released Islands Disappear,
on October 13, 2009 via Hidden Pony Records/EMI. Produced by Howard
Redekopp (Tegan and Sara, The New Pornographers, Mother Mother) and Tom
Dobrzanski, the album draws on the experience of driving across Canada,
from the van breaking down in Manitoba (“Dear Elkhorn”) to camping in
Alberta (“Emerald Lake, AB’). The album’s first single, “Camilo (The
Magician),” with its gritty powerchords and sunny powerpop chorus, was
dubbed the “song of the summer” by Grant Lawrence of CBC Radio 3, while
the track “Emerald Lake, AB” was given the CBC Bucky Award for Most
Canadian Song. In July, the band teamed up with Hannah Georgas, Jeremy
Fisher and Aidan Knight to form the super-group, The Malahat Revue, and
toured Vancouver Island by bicycle playing nine shows over the course of
12 days and 500 km. Most recently, the band embarked on an acoustic
“busking” tour of local Vancouver high schools, raising $3500 to support
MusiCounts – Canada’s music education charity associated with CARAS.04 – Camilo (The Magician) – Said The Whale – clip

The
suburbs have always spawned poets who flee to the world’s great cities.
Montréal’s Arcade Fire, however, return to the landscapes of their
youth and return with The Suburbs: songs that draw on themes of
loss and renewal, of drawing inspiration from scarcity, of generations
past and future, of responsibility and maturity, of hoping that
something pure can last. The Suburbs, like its namesake, revels
in open space, reflections on long drives, and contemplating
possibilities. Lyrics decrying wasted time, arms folded tight, and
cities with no children, are set to sparse pop, icy new wave epics,
anthemetic punk and lush balladry — all delivered with a breadth and
beauty that expands the palette of a band that has never settled for the
easy route out of town.02 – Ready To Start – Arcade Fire – Clip13 – We Used To Wait – Arcade Fire – clip

This astronomical rise to success continued into 2010 with the release of his major label debut album Thank Me Later.
After several setbacks from its original October 2009 release date, the
album was released on June 15th, 2010 preceded by lead single “Over,”
which peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at No. 1 on the Hot Rap
Songs chart. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Album Chart
and has since been certified platinum by the RIAA for sales of
approximately 1,100,000 copies in the U.S. to date. It produced three
further singles which attained chart success; “Find Your Love,” “Miss
Me” (feat. Lil’ Wayne) and “Fancy” (feat. T.I. & Swizz Beatz).04 Over – clip

Hannah Georgas released her debut full-length album, This Is Good,
in her native Canada this past April on Hidden Pony Records creating an
instant splash, landing the May cover of Canada’s only national music
monthly, Exclaim! The album, produced by Howard Redekopp (Tegan
and Sara/New Pornographers) and Ryan Guldemond (Mother Mother),
features infectious mix of pop-rock gems and folky tenderness that
brings to mind elements of Feist and Basia Bulat. Georgas was named by
CBC Radio 3 as Best New Artist in 2009, and her album was highly-buzzed
about even before its release. It garnered glowing reviews in The Globe & Mail and The National Post
along with almost every daily and weekly paper across Canada, and was
named to the long-list for the Polaris Music Prize. Georgas performed
in September at the Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg, at the Osheaga Music
Festival in Montréal and took part in The Malahat Revue, cycling and
performing across British Columbia with Jeremy Fisher, Aidan Knight and
Said The Whale.04 – The Deep End – Hannah Georgas – clip

MapleMusic*Universal*MapleMusic Publishing

Royal Wood

“Waiting” , “On Top Of Your Love” , “Tonight I Will Be Your Guide” THE WAITING – Royal Wood

“Waiting” , “On Top Of Your Love” , “Tonight I Will Be Your Guide” THE WAITING – Royal Wood

Singer-songwriter Royal Wood has spent years perfecting his craft of balladry and pop music. His new album, THE WAITING,
appropriately begins with a song entitled “You Can’t Go Back” — and why
would he? With each new release, Royal Wood delivers another
collection of heartrending and honest tales of love, loss and life more
impressive than the last. It now seems more than ever that Wood has
found his voice. “This record is about the duality of life and how at
times, I seemingly waited for the mirrored experience to return,” says
Wood. “I went through so many severe shifts personally and all of that
turbulence led to serious thought and reflection. That is why these
songs were born and why they are my most personal and introspective to
date.”04 – On Top of Your Love – Royal Wood – clip

Since
her signing with Arista Records nearly two decades ago, every one of
Sarah McLachlan’s studio and live albums has been certified gold,
platinum, or multi-platinum by the RIAA. TOUCH (1988) and SOLACE (1991) were both gold sellers. Her 1994 breakthrough, the 3X-platinum FUMBLING THROUGH ECSTASY, was followed by the digitally enhanced multimedia version of THE FREEDOM SESSIONS
(1995, gold). “I never have set goals, in the sense that I expected to
be successful or get to a certain place. My idea of success has always
been, does it feel right? Does it feel good to me? Do I enjoy doing it?
And somehow miraculously, I’ve been able to follow that path and have a
great success at it.” “So this whole career, the life that I have, the
opportunities that I’ve been given—it all comes as unexpected. Every
day I pinch myself, you know? I can’t believe all this has happened to
me.”03 – Loving You Is Easy – Sarah McLachlan – Clip

COUNTRY ALBUM OF THE YEAR (SPONSORED BY COUNTRY STYLE)

Dancing Lily/Road Angel*Universal

Carolyn Dawn Johnson

Love Rules

Love Rules

Carolyn Dawn Johnson is a
JUNO Award-winning country music singer-songwriter. Johnson first rose
to fame by co-writing Chely Wright’s 1999 No. 1 U.S. Billboard single
“Single White Female.” In 2000, she signed with Arista Nashville and,
in 2001, released her debut album, ROOM WITH A VIEW. The
album’s first two singles (“Georgia” and “Complicated”) were both No. 1
hits on the Canadian Country Music Charts, and the latter was a top 10
hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. Her next single “I
Dont’ Want You To Go” was also a Top 10 in the U.S. With a gold record
to her name, she has had continued success in her native Canada taking
home 16 CCMA Awards to date and receiving yet another nomination in
2010. After a four-year hiatus, Johnson returned with the single “Let Me
Introduce Myself,” which since reached the Top 10 of the Billboard Cdn.
Country chart. The song served as the lead single to her fourth album, LOVE RULES,
released in August 2010. her second single, “The Whole Thing” is
already Top 20 and climbing. The album is produced by Johnson and Frank
Rogers.02 – The Whole Thing – Carolyn Dawn Johnson – clip

Open Road*Universal

Dean Brody

Trail in Life

Trail in Life

“Without risk there’s no
reward,” says Dean Brody. “It’s important to be fearless. You need to be
persistent. You can’t give up.” Brody would know. If there’s one thing
the Jaffray, BC, born singer-songwriter has proven in his career, it’s
that he’s not afraid to pull up stakes and risk everything to chase his
dreams. Fair to say that ethic is a good part of the inspiration behind
the title to his new record, TRAIL IN LIFE, the follow up to
his 2009 self-titled debut, and first on Open Road Recordings. If the
success of Brody’s first release was a kind of vindication for him, TRAIL IN LIFE
is a record his listeners can find a certain amount of vindication in
themselves. It’s a collection of songs that finds beauty and strength in
the everyday things too often undervalued. Songs that linger on the
moments between our victories and defeats, throwing into stark relief
the simple struggles and small triumphs we all experience day in and day
out, and celebrating them for what they are: the raw materials that all
the best parts of life are made of.02 – Roll that Barrel Out – Dean Brody – clip

Black T Records*EMI

Deric Ruttan

Sunshine

Sunshine

Deric Ruttan was raised just
outside Bracebridge, ON, on land where his great grandfather made
moonshine in the 1930’s. It was the perfect backdrop for the
singer-songwriter, who grew up listening to everything from CCR to
Gordon Lightfoot, Johnny Cash to Neil Young. After touring with several
country bar bands, Deric moved to Nashville, TN, where his unique
outlook and delivery attracted the attention and praise of songwriters
Don Schlitz and Steve Earle. Deric has had over 30 songs recorded by
other artists, he is a CCMA winner (2007 Songwriter of the Year), and a
nine-time CCMA (Canadian Country Music Association) nominee. While
based in Nashville for the last 16 years, Deric regularly tours in his
native Canada, where his three albums, DERIC RUTTAN (2003), FIRST TIME IN A LONG TIME (2008), and SUNSHINE
(2010) have to-date generated nine Top 10 radio hits, four Top 20 radio
singles and two No. 1 videos, with songs like “When You Come Around,”
“First Time In A Long Time,” “Good Time” (duet with Dierks Bentley),
“That’s How I Wanna Go Out,” and the infectious “Up All Night.” Deric
and his wife Margaret have five children and a beagle named Sam.04 – Up All Night – Deric Ruttan – clip

Cache Ent.*Royalty

Gord Bamford

Day Job

Day Job

The way Gord Bamford lives his
life comes alive through his music. This independent singer-songwriter
has been making country music a priority for the past 16 years. Gord
wrote 11 of the 13 songs on his fourth album, DAY JOB, released on April 6, 2010. DAY JOB,
is already his best-selling to date, and recently earned Gord the
Canadian Country Music Association’s (CCMA) Male Artist of the Year; DAY JOB
won CCMA Country Album of the Year; the video won CMT Video of the
Year; and he and Byron Hill received the CCMA Producer of the Year
Award. Gord, a steadfast family man, works tirelessly to find ways to
give back. The Gord Bamford Charitable Foundation and his annual charity
golf tournament have raised just under $500,000 in three years to
support central Alberta charities. The CCMA organization named Gord its
2010 Humanitarian of the Year. He credits the support of his fans,
business partnerships, friends and family that keep him grounded and
focused on creating his own legacy in Canada’s country music industry.01 – Day Job – Gord Bamford – clip

Johnny Mac*EMI

Johnny Reid

A Place Called Love

A Place Called Love

The driving force
behind Johnny Reid’s, A PLACE CALLED LOVE, is as universal as it is
straightforward. With his first release on EMI/Johnny Mac Entertainment
in Canada, Reid takes on love in all its myriad forms; exploring both
the intensity of his feelings for his closest family, and the enduring
gratitude he has for those who have helped him become one of Canada’s
most successful recording artists of the past decade. “One of the
greatest relationships I have, apart from my family, is the relationship
I have with the people who come out and see my shows and buy my
records. The longer I’m given the opportunity to record songs and sing
them, the deeper that relationship becomes. My hope is that this record
will take them to a place of peace, or to a place that’s a great memory,
someplace that resonates with them as A Place Called Love.”02 – Today I’m Gonna Try and Change the World – Johnny Reid – clip

ADULT ALTERNATIVE ALBUM OF THE YEAR (SPONSORED BY GALAXIE, YOUR MUSICAL UNIVERSE)

Jive*Sony

Black Dub

Black Dub

Black Dub

Black Dub is the
latest project from acclaimed musician and producer Daniel Lanois, a
legendary guitarist and composer who has produced seminal albums for U2,
Bob Dylan, Brian Eno, Willie Nelson and Neil Young. Lanois is what
historians like to call a musician’s musician. In Lanois’ own words: “Black Dub
is essentially a three-piece band with a high level of musicianship,”
comprised of Trixie Whitley (vocals), Brian Blade (drums), Daryl Johnson
(Bass) and Daniel Lanois (guitars, vocals, keys). “We don’t operate on a
technological grid. Nor are we tied to a page of fixed notes. Our songs
are fluid. Often recorded live. One take. No overdubs. It’s a very old
fashioned idea really. I think that might be why we get such a strong
response on YouTube. Each video we create is a live musical performance
shot with a hand-held camera seen through the eyes of one individual. No
cuts. No edits. It’s clear that people still have an appetite for
something honest and authentic with real musicians playing live. In
these sad times of pre-packaged music, people yearn to experience
something soulful, heartfelt, something meaningful. As simple as it
sounds, real music is a rare commodity these days.”02 – I Believe In You – Black Dub – clip

Coalition*Warner

Justin Nozuka

You I Wind Land and Sea

You I Wind Land and Sea

Justin Nozuka’s
charge is to craft songs that make his listeners feel like they were up
all night together, sharing sleep-deprived confessions. The first
collection of these, HOLLY (Coalition/Glassnote Records), is
named for Nozuka’s highly supportive mother, and came out when Nozuka
was just 19. The press marvelled at his mature sound and vision,
calling Nozuka “as soulful and wise as blues greats four times his age.”
His follow-up, YOU I WIND LAND AND SEA, will cement and further define that reputation—even as Nozuka endeavours to stay grounded amid copious praise of HOLLY
and his performances on tour and television. YIWLAS encompasses a dozen
deep, liberating tracks that expand on the acoustic folk-soul
foundation base Nozuka laid with HOLLY and introduces key
influences. The moody, tribal “Gray” checks Jeff Buckley as much as Ray
LaMontagne; first single “My Heart Is Yours” applies gospel devotion to
romantic soul, and “Unwoken Dream” mines the psych-folk genre—an
ostensible left turn for Nozuka, yet perfectly executed. And throughout
the album, the production nods subtly to Radiohead, adding a third
dimension to Nozuka’s sound which, finds his powerful soul pipes running
as smoothly as ever.04 – Heartless – Justin Nozuka – clip

Six Shooter*Warner

Luke Doucet

Steel City Trawler

Steel City Trawler

Canadian Folk Music
Award-winning artist Luke Doucet’s hard-playing, hard-touring efforts
have won praise from the hardest-nosed critics in Canada and south of
the border, including sitting atop “Best Of” lists by The Independent in the UK, our own Toronto Star, and the discerning ear of High Fidelity
author Nick Hornby. Doucet’s impeccable instincts have steered multiple
projects by fellow Six Shooters NQ Arbuckle and Melissa McClelland, as
well as the most recent release by Rose Cousins. On his new, critically
acclaimed and 4-star reviewed album, STEEL CITY TRAWLER, Doucet brought in first time producer Andrew Scott (Sloan). STEEL CITY TRAWLER
comes from the heart of the post-industrial landscape and mindset. The
album is a finely balanced mix of clever turns of phrase, cords and
moods, irreverent bouncy rockers and tender, spacious ballads.02 – Thinking People – Luke Doucet and The White Falcon – clip

Reprise*Warner

Neil Young

Le Noise

Le Noise

Neil Percival Young, (born
November 12, 1945) is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely
regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation.
Young began performing as a solo artist in Canada in 1960, before moving
to California in 1966, where he co-founded the band Buffalo Springfield
along with Stephen Stills, and later joined Crosby, Stills and Nash as a
fourth member in 1969. He then forged a successful and acclaimed solo
career; releasing his first album in 1968; his career has since spanned
more than 40 years and 37 studio albums, with a continual and
uncompromising exploration of musical styles. Young’s latest
masterpiece, LE NOISE, is an eight-song album collaboration
with legendary producer/songwriter Daniel Lanois, which Young
subsequently documented in a 39-minute film posted on YouTube. Young is a
five-time JUNO Award winner and was inducted to the Canadian Music Hall
of Fame in 1982 and twice to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2009 he
was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and in 2010 was named the
MusiCares Person of the Year by The National Academy of Recording Arts
and Sciences. He is also the 2011 Allan Waters Humanitarian Award
recipient.01 – Walk with Me – Neil Young – Clip

Cold Snap*Universal

Sarah Harmer

Oh Little Fire

Oh Little Fire

The first sound you’ll hear on OH LITTLE FIRE
is a high-pitched keening, like the shrieking of an unattended phone,
or the distant skirling of a ghost on a winter night. Suddenly, Sarah
Harmer’s band kicks in, with drums propelling a gust of rock more
forceful than anything she’s played since her mid-‘90s days with
rambunctious Kingston rockers Weeping Tile. She sings with a sense of
purpose: “A new wind will blow through everything / Through everything I
know.” On OH LITTLE FIRE, her first album in five years, Harmer sounds reinvigorated and positively charged.02 – Captive – Sarah Harmer – clip

ALTERNATIVE ALBUM OF THE YEAR (SPONSORED BY LONG & MCQUADE)

Sonovox*F.A.B.

Arcade Fire

The Suburbs

The Suburbs

The suburbs have always
spawned poets who flee to the world’s great cities. Montréal’s Arcade
Fire, however, return to the landscapes of their youth and return with The Suburbs:
songs that draw on themes of loss and renewal, of drawing inspiration
from scarcity, of generations past and future, of responsibility and
maturity, of hoping that something pure can last. The Suburbs,
like its namesake, revels in open space, reflections on long drives, and
contemplating possibilities. Lyrics decrying wasted time, arms folded
tight, and cities with no children, are set to sparse pop, icy new wave
epics, anthemetic punk and lush balladry — all delivered with a breadth
and beauty that expands the palette of a band that has never settled for
the easy route out of town.02 – Ready To Start – Arcade Fire – Clip

Arts & Crafts*EMI

Broken Social Scene

Forgiveness Rock Record

Forgiveness Rock Record

Broken Social
Scene (BSS) remains one of the most significant manifestations of
Canada’s burgeoning indie rock movement, a sprawling and relentlessly
creative collective that has produced some of the nation’s most dynamic
musical accomplishments. Materializing at the start of the 2000s with
the lo-fi atmospheric recordings of K.C. Accidental’s Kevin Drew and By
Divine Right’s Brendan Canning, the band debuted with 2001’s Feel Good Lost
and introduced a string of household names into the Canadian musical
consciousness. Broken Social Scene’s profile, and its roster, exploded
with the 2002 release of You Forgot It In People. With
appearances from Leslie Feist, Jason Collett and a host of others, the
album garnered worldwide attention, and landed Broken Social Scene a
JUNO Award for Alternative Album of The Year. 2004 saw the well-received
B-sides and rarities collection Bee Hives, and in 2005 BSS released its
third, self-titled full length. In Spring 2010, BSS returned
triumphantly with Forgiveness Rock Record, a sonically refined offering that garnered universally glowing reviews and debuted at No. 1 in Canada.03 – Texico Bitches – Broken Social Scene – clip

Audiogram*Select

Karkwa

Les chemins de verre

Les chemins de verre

Karkwa formed in
1998 and was noticed when the Office franco-québécois pour la jeunesse
(a France–Québec youth exchange organization), invited them to perform
at the cultural expo in Paris. It wasn’t until 2001 when Karkwa truly
stepped onto the scene, making it to the final round at the 7th Annual
Francouvertes Music Festival. Karkwa confirmed its marquee role in the
world of Québec rock with their first album Le pensionnat des établis released in 2003, followed by the launch of Les tremblements s’immobilisent
(2005). In April 2008, singer/guitarist Louis-Jean Cormier, drummer
Stéphane Bergeron, keyboardist François Lafontaine, bassist Martin
Lamontagne and percussionist/singer Julien Sagot released Le volume du vent,
their landmark third album. The two years following the release of
their third album were hectic, with hundreds of performances in Canada,
France, Switzerland, United States and Lebanon. Their fourth album is
based on spontaneous impulses of creativity and was put together without
pre-production for a more organic and impressionist sound. In 2010,
Karkwa won the prestigious Polaris Music Prize as well as their 10th
Félix (Quebéc’s music award recognition) for Best Alternative Album of
the Year.11 – 28 jours – Karkwa – clip

For Great Justice*Sonic Unyon

Owen Pallett

Heartland

Heartland

The album HEARTLAND is the product of nine months of work in four countries. Heartland
is a fully orchestral record, designed to exist simultaneously as an
album, a 45-minute piece of orchestral music and a set of songs for
looped violin and voice. Owen Pallett explains: “The album is about the
beginning, middle and end of a relationship. But it’s sung from the
point of view of the object of my affection. Heartland was
compositionally modelled upon the principles of electronic music. The
principles of analog synthesis informing symphonic writing, like an
inversion of a Tomita record. These songs too, were designed to be as
dense with polyphony as the Final Fantasy live shows can become. While
writing it, I kept an image in my head of putting so many notes on the
page that the paper turned black.” Work began in earnest in November
2008, when Pallett and Arcade Fire drummer Jeremy Gara flew to
Reykjavik, Iceland, to work at The Greenhouse, Valgeir Siggurdsson’s
studio (Björk’s Medulla, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy’s The Letting Go) with
engineer Mio Thórrison at the board. The orchestra was recorded January
2009 in Prague, with the Czech Symphony.05 – Lewis Takes Action – Owen Pallett – clip

Dine Alone*Universal

Tokyo Police Club

Champ

Champ

For a band that burst on the scene with and EP featuring 16 minutes of music (2006′s A Lesson In Crime) followed in rapid fire succession by additional EPs and singles (Smith, “Your English Is Good”) and a debut album (2008’s Elephant Shell)
all within two years time, you’d think 26 months between albums would
be an interminable wait. And it might well have been for Tokyo Police
Club, had they not toured relentlessly in support of that first album
through August of 2009—and started writing new songs virtually the
second their previous record was put to bed. The nine-month gap between
the close of that tour and the June 8th release of Champ,
Tokyo Police Club’s second full length album and first for the mom+pop
label, has been anything but boring or unproductive. Quite the opposite
in fact: The Newmarket, ON, quartet ended up immersing itself more
fully in its craft than ever: Greg Alsop, Josh Hook, David Monks and
Graham Wright challenged and redefined their songwriting and performing
chops and techniques from day one of pre-production, and, together with
producer Rob Schnapf ultimately created the defining record of their
career to date.04 – Boots Of Danger (Wait Up) – Tokyo Police Club – clip

POP ALBUM OF THE YEAR (SPONSORED BY RECORDING ARTISTS COLLECTING SOCIETY – A DIVISION OF ACTRA)

Mungo Park* Select

Bobby Bazini

Better in Time

Better in Time

Singer songwriter Bobby
Bazini was born in Mont-Laurier, a small peaceful town north of
Montréal. Bazini grew up surrounded by music, and one day while at his
grandmother’s house, he discovered the music that would change his world
and fill his heart: a full collection of Johnny Cash vinyls. This along
with the rural setting became the canvas of his music, as he started to
write songs. At age 16, his influences turned to soul music as he
discovered artists like; Otis Redding, Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, Al
Green and Ben E. King. Ready and excited to finally introduce his work,
Bazini began performing at local venues around town. His voice, his
unique tone and delivery along with his compositional style immediately
touched all that witnessed it. The contradiction between such an old
soul in such a young body amazed everyone. In a chance meeting, a radio
station was so impressed with Bazini that he sent one of his new songs
to a manager in Montréal. A debut album was born…Better in Time. The rest is now history.04 – I Wonder – Bobby Bazini – clip

Universal Motown*Universal

Down With Webster

Time to Win Vol. 1

Time to Win Vol. 1

Down With Webster
(DWW) is Bucky on vocals, Pat on vocals and guitars, Tyler on bass and
keys, Marty on drums, Cam on vocals, Kap as Hype Man, and Diggy the DJ.
The seven-member, genre-bending, musical juggernaut draws on disparate
influences to create a wholly original musical feast. Their chaotic live
shows are the stuff of local legend, selling 1000+ tickets as
headliners in their hometown of Toronto as an indie band before ever
releasing a single or video. The band writes, produces and performs all
of their music, garnering attention from industry veterans as varied as
Timbaland and KISS front man Gene Simmons, both of whom wanted to sign
the band to their respective labels. DWW won the Rogers Mobile/Universal
Music best unsigned artist in Canada contest in 2008. Their Universal
Motown debut, Time To Win, vol.I, was the first of two seven-track mini-albums, followed by Time To Win, vol. II which was released Spring 2010.02 – Whoa Is Me – Down With Webster – clip

604*Universal

Faber Drive

Can’T keEp A SecrEt

Can’T keEp A SecrEt

“We wanted to write
songs that would stand the test of time, and we wanted to have more
control and co-produce with several different producers.” After beating
more than 500 artists from across Canada to take first place in a radio
competition, Faber Drive started opening for acts like Nickelback,
Simple Plan and Hedley. With the release of their pop-punk infused debut
album, Seven Second Surgery, Faber Drive hit No. 1 on
MuchMusic, saw three Top 10 radio singles and was nominated for New
Artist of the Year at the 2008 JUNO Awards. However, the Faber Drive
that appears on its sophomore album can’T keEp A SecrEt is a band that has progressed from the JUNO Award nominees of 2008. Where Seven Second Surgery laid the ground work for the Vancouver-based band’s career, can’T keEp A SecrEt
now builds and evolves, deftly bringing bright colors, edgy tones, and
more emotion into the fold and crossing the borders between Faber
Drive’s punk rock roots into electro-pop mixed with epic balladry. “We
wanted to take a risk with can’T keEp A SecrEt and move forward without forgetting our original sound or our dedicated fans,” explains bassist Krikit.05 – Give Him Up – Faber Drive – clip

Island Def Jam*Universal

Justin Bieber

My World 2.0

My World 2.0

A virtually untapped well
of natural artistic talent, Justin Bieber is primed to be a solid force
in music for many years to come. “I think older people can appreciate my
music because I really show my heart when I sing, and it’s not corny,”
he says. “I think I can grow as an artist and my fans will grow with
me.” And just think, he’s just getting started.01 – Baby [feat. Ludacris] – Justin Bieber – clip

Nettwerk*Sony

Sarah McLachlan

Laws of Illusion

Laws of Illusion

Since her signing with
Arista Records nearly two decades ago, every one of Sarah McLachlan’s
studio and live albums has been certified gold, platinum, or
multi-platinum by the RIAA. TOUCH (1988) and SOLACE (1991) were both gold sellers. Her 1994 breakthrough, the 3X-platinum FUMBLING THROUGH ECSTASY, was followed by the digitally enhanced multimedia version of THE FREEDOM SESSIONS
(1995, gold). “I never have set goals, in the sense that I expected to
be successful or get to a certain place. My idea of success has always
been, does it feel right? Does it feel good to me? Do I enjoy doing it?
And somehow miraculously, I’ve been able to follow that path and have a
great success at it.” “So this whole career, the life that I have, the
opportunities that I’ve been given—it all comes as unexpected. Every
day I pinch myself, you know? I can’t believe all this has happened to
me.”03 – Loving You Is Easy – Sarah McLachlan – Clip

ROCK ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Distort*Universal

Cancer Bats

Bears, Mayors, Scraps & Bones

Bears, Mayors, Scraps & Bones

They’ve
birthed a grimy hardcore giant and hailed a more metal-centric
destroyer, but in 2010, Cancer Bats dropped their heaviest, deadliest,
and most brutal offering to date with Bears, Mayors, Scraps & Bones. Since releasing Bears, Mayors, Scraps & Bones, the JUNO Award-nominated Cancer Bats have charred the pages of Kerrang!, Alternative Press, Revolver, Eye Weekly, Exclaim!,
and countless other top-tier publications. Over the years, the Cancer
Bats have ignited the concert-going kindling from stages at SXSW, Taste
Of Chaos, Rock Im Park, Rock Am Ring, Download Festival, Edgefest,
Leeds, and Reading, and alongside heavyweights like Rise Against, Billy
Talent, Alexisonfire, Bring Me The Horizon, and Bullet For My Valentine.
Still, the ultimate goal is just to share their music with people that
are passionate about it.14 – Sabotage – Cancer Bats – clip

WEA*Warner

Die Mannequin

Fino + Bleed

Fino + Bleed

Lead singer Care Failure
is, by her own admission, a bit of a mess. A bona fide rock star, yes –
if you’ve seen her perform, that much is undeniable, just a genetic
fact – but she’s not the sort who is merely mastered the cosmetic arts
of the calling. At the age of 22, the volatile Die Mannequin frontwoman
has already weathered more pure, textbook rock ‘n’ roll experience than
dozens of leather-and-tattoos poseurs twice her age. One listen to Die
Mannequin’s full-length Warner Music debut, Fino + Bleed, will
tell you – as visceral and honest and full-on as any art one might
expect a decade of premature “hard living” to yield. To scenesters in
Die Mannequin’s native Toronto, Fino + Bleed has been in the
works for something like forever. And, in many respects, it has – Care
was literally plucked from the streets by former EMI Publishing Canada
president Michael McCarty and vice-president Barb Sedun at 17, and given
the sort of time to develop within the music industry infrastructure
once accorded to the likes of Bruce Springsteen and R.E.M., but is now
supposedly a thing of the past.06 – Bad Medicine – Die Mannequin – clip

Wax/Wind-Up*Warner

Finger Eleven

Life Turns Electric

Life Turns Electric

Finger Eleven
earned thier confidence album by album, tour by tour and song by song.
Since 1998, the band have worked the road non-stop and released
successful albums such as their debut Tip and its follow-up, The Greyest of Blue Skies.
By the time they released their third, self-titled album, Finger Eleven
had built a solid career. They didn’t know that a little acoustic tune,
“One thing,” written unassumingly under a tree somewhere, would be the
one to crack the charts, and subsequently gave them the them the
confidence to write Them vs You vs Me, the gold-certified album that won Rock Album of the Year at the 2007 JUNO Awards. Them vs You vs Me
featured “Paralyzer” a monster slab of backbone slide that became the
band’s biggest crossover hit. After five albums and countless tours,
Finger Eleven have made their big rock record. It’s loud, powerful and
fast. It’s the album they’ve waited their entire career to make. Life Turns Electric
is the sound of Finger Eleven’s pedal to the proverbial metal. They fly
past state troopers and speed traps. They barrel headlong into the
future but take a scenic route through the dusty roads of the ‘70s to
get there. There’s nothing retro about it, but you can hear how they’ve
inhaled the fumes of Classic Rock. This is the sound of a band blasting
forward and having a blast while doing so. The guitars are back, the
melodies are strong and instantly memorable, branding the lyrics on your
brain the very first time you hear them.14 – Sabotage – Cancer Bats – clip

WEA*Warner

Hail the Villain

Population: Declining

Population: Declining

Hail The Villain
is a band with big ideas. They aren’t satisfied with writing songs,
making an album and going out on tour. They want to create an entire
Hail The Villain universe that includes not only the music, but a
dynamic live show, animated videos, a comic book, a unique interactive
website, and maybe even a movie someday. “Most people are going to aim
for what’s attainable,” says Bryan Crouch. “For us, it’s aiming for
what’s unattainable.” With Crouch on vocals, Joseph Stamp (guitars),
Chad Taylor (bass) and Flavio Cirillo (drums), Population: Declining
was born. Hail The Villain attack their career with the same hard-nosed
approach you’d expect from growing up in Canada’s automobile
manufacturing town of Oshawa, ON. From the moment they finished
recording their debut album, they have been pain-stakingly involved in
all creative elements that connect to fans in their vision.03 – Runaway – Hail The Villain – clip

Universal

Matthew Good

Vancouver

Vancouver

Consistent, honest and
forthright about everything from life to music, Matthew Good is one of
few Canadian musicians who require no introduction. In 2009, Good’s
sincerity finds him in an enviable place: alive, feeling fine and more
inspired than ever before. His personal anguish and frustrations dealt
with, Good now tackles new territory: the outside world. He has dubbed
this journey, Vancouver, a dedication to and examination of his
experiences living in the world-renowned city for the better part of
his life; the land responsible for forming many of his personal
reflections and opinions on the world. Good broaches all spectrums of
his home, delving into the individual, economic, and social impact
Vancouver’s many facets incite. From straightforward rock to the
infusion of strings which offer a lushness and bold atmosphere to the
album, Vancouver offers fans the familiarity of Good’s inherent style yet accents and bolsters his need for diversity and advancement.01 – Last Parade – Matthew Good – clip

VOCAL JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR (SPONSORED BY CRYSTAL SENSATIONS)

Empress*eOne Music

Emilie-Claire Barlow

The Beat Goes On

The Beat Goes On

You could say that The Beat Goes On finds Emilie-Claire Barlow going back to the future. The chanteuse’s acclaimed previous two albums, 2007’s The Very Thought of You and 2009’s Haven’t We Met?
(both nominated for JUNO Awards) drew upon the Great American Songbook
and tunes from the ‘30s and ‘40s. Here, she looks forward to the ‘60s
for her repertoire. The result is a charming album that does real
musical justice to that most colourful of decades. The ‘60s are a
veritable musical treasure trove and Emilie-Claire mines this rich vein
with real deftness. The result is a wonderfully varied collection of
classic songs given new life by inventive arrangements and signature
vocal skill. The diversity of song choices on The Beat Goes On
came quite naturally…“It was only when I analyzed it later that I saw
this was a good cross-section of puzzle pieces from the musical decade.
There is Motown [“Yester-me Yester-you Yester-day”], country [“He Thinks
I Still Care”], singer-songwriters like Carole King, Buffy Sainte-Marie
and Bob Dylan, bossa nova and psychedelia, with Donovan’s “Sunshine
Superman.” That was all completely subconscious.”02 – Sunshine Superman – Emilie-Claire Barlow – clip

Stony Plain*Warner

Jeff Healey

Last Call

Last Call

Jeff Healey lost his sight
after developing eye cancer at the age of one. He began playing guitar
when he was three years old and performing at the age of 17. The Jeff
Healey Band released their debut album on Arista, See The Light,
in 1988 and immediately developed a devoted following in blues-rock
circles. As the 21st century dawned, Healey taught himself to play
trumpet and began to lean to the kind of traditional 1920s and ‘30s jazz
that had always fascinated him. His first jazz album to see wide
release, It’s Tight Like That, appeared on Stony Plain Records in 2006. Healey continued in the traditional jazz idiom for both Among Friends and Adventures In Jazzland, released in 2007. In 2008, a month before the release of his last studio album Mess Of Blues, Healey died from cancer. The follow up 2009 release, Songs From The Road, boasts a wide range of material. His last jazz album, Last Call,
was recorded informally in the months before his death, and released in
April, 2010. Much of the material features a “one-man band” consisting
of Healey playing multi-tracked guitar parts, trumpet and handling the
vocals.01 – Holding My Honey’s Hand – Jeff Healey – clip

Plus Loin*SRI

Kellylee Evans

Nina

Nina

Vocalist Kellylee Evans continues to evolve her distinctive sound with her newest release Nina,
a beautiful tribute to one of jazz’s greatest vocalists and pianists,
Nina Simone. Evans received accolades for her first two albums, Fight or Flight and The Good Girl,
written and produced by Kellylee at Audio Valley Recording Studio in
Perth, ON, with the help of engineer and co-producer Steve Foley and her
trusty touring band since 2005. The alternative-soul pop recording was
the sophomore follow up to the 2006 critically acclaimed urban-jazz
debut, Fight or Flight, which helped garner the Toronto native
JUNO Award and Gemini Award nominations in 2007 and a win for Best
Female Artist at the Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards. Evans even took
second place in the prestigious Thelonius Monk International Jazz Vocals
Competition, whose judges included Quincy Jones and Al Jarreau. Her
energy-charged live shows have led to opening spots for George Benson,
Tony Bennett, Chris Botti and Maceo Parker.02 – Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood – Kellylee Evans – clip

Independent

Laila Biali

Tracing Light

Tracing Light

From the beginnings of
jazz, musicians chose standards – a mix of their personal favorites and
chart toppers – as part of their repertoire. Poised to become the new
face of contemporary jazz, Laila Biali has already showcased her
original music and arrangements at world-class venues spanning five
continents, including New York City’s Carnegie Hall, the North Sea Jazz
Festival in the Netherlands, the International Jazz Festival in Peru and
the Cotton Club in Japan. Her musical versatility has also won her
touring engagements with top-tier artists including jazz trumpeter Chris
Botti, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Paula Cole,
platinum-selling artist Suzanne Vega, and most recently pop icon STING.
Biali’s previous album, From Sea to Sky, was called a “surefire winner” (Toronto Star) with “cause for celebration and recognition” (Montréal Gazette). Her newest album, Tracing Light, gains recognition for Biali’s “bold musical ventures,” “youthful funkiness,” “ingenuity, verve and depth” (Ottawa Citizen). Named
SOCAN Composer and Keyboardist of the Year at the 2005 National Jazz
Awards, Biali has moved from being cited as ‘an artist to watch’ to one
who is ‘it’; as Toronto Life magazine puts it, “on the way to setting, and playing, her own standards.”01 – Let Go – Laila Biali – clip

Decca*Universal

Nikki Yanofsky

Nikki

Nikki

Nikki Yanofsky is a 16-year old musical prodigy. In 2008, Nikki’s debut release, Ella…Of Thee I Swing,
a live CD/DVD, earned two JUNO Award nominations. Nikki’s career spiked
in February 2010, appearing before an estimated TV audience of 3.5
billion people singing the Canadian national anthem at the Winter
Olympics Opening Ceremonies in Vancouver. Nikki was also chosen to sing
the official Olympics song, “I Believe,” which went 4x platinum in
Canada, making her the youngest Canadian artist to ever do so. In spring
2010, she released her first studio album, Nikki, on Decca Records. Produced by Jesse Harris and Phil Ramone, Nikki
features new arrangements of classic standards, an original song
written for Nikki by Feist, and her first original music, written with
Harris and Ron Sexsmith. The album has already gone gold in Canada, and
debuted at No. 1 in the U.S. on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart. In Fall
2010, Nikki received the inaugural Allan Slaight Award at Canada’s Walk
Of Fame gala. The Award recognizes excellence in the performing arts by a
young Canadian, and is one of the biggest honours of Nikki’s career.04 – For Another Day – Nikki Yanofsky – clip

CONTEMPORARY JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR (SPONSORED BY WORLD VISION ARTIST ASSOCIATES)

Independent

Adrean Farrugia

Ricochet

Ricochet

“Pianist Adrean Farrugia’s
disc reflects an expansive musical vision and the talent and craft to
combine elements from a range of influences … I’ll be surprised if
there’s a better debut jazz CD released in Canada this year.” – Peter
Hum, Ottawa Citizen. Award-winning pianist and composer Adrean
Farrugia has been a vital member of the Canadian jazz scene for 15
years. He has performed with such international jazz luminaries as
Curtis Fuller, Randy Brecker, Ira Sullivan, Don Thompson, Kenny Wheeler,
Moe Koffman, Joel Frahm, and Darcy James Argue as well as with various
ensembles across Canada, the U.S., France, Poland and Japan. He can be
heard on more than 30 recordings to date, two of which are under his own
name. His most recent release Ricochet was released at the
2010 Toronto Jazz Festival on the mainstage at Nathan Phillips Square,
and has garnered both consistent radio play and critical acclaim
nationwide. Adrean Farrugia is on the music faculties of both Mohawk
College and York University. He has also been a contributing columnist
to the American publication The Piano Book – the world’s foremost publication on all things piano related. Adrean Farrugia plays Shigeru Kawai pianos.01 – Mourning Star – Adrean Farrugia – clip

Justin Time*EMI

Chet Doxas

Big Sky

Big Sky

Chet Doxas is accomplished both
as a saxophonist as well as a composer and arranger. Born in 1980 in
Montréal, Chet grew up in a fertile musical environment. Beginning with
piano and drums – he then moved to clarinet, tenor and alto saxophone.
He has appeared at Carnegie Hall, received the Rico Golden Reed Award
at Music Fest Canada and was honoured as Jazz Report Magazine’s
“Best Secondary Jazz Musician in Canada.” Chet has gathered much
experience, including several impressive collaborations on stage and on
recordings, including Dave Douglas, Oliver Jones, Joe Lovano, Bill
Stewart, Maria Schneider, Michel Donato and Lorraine Desmarais. He has
also recorded and composed for numerous film soundtracks, most notably
the Academy and Grammy Award-nominated soundtrack of Les Triplettes de Belleville. In
addition to these collaborations, this versatile young musician is also
a member of the Montréal Jazz Saxophone Quartet and co-leads the trio
Byproduct. On his latest release Big Sky, the Chet Doxas
Quartet reveals an inspired and creative band at the top of their game. A
contemporary jazz ensemble with a level of complexity that combines
their respect for classic jazz while maintaining their adventurous edge.01 – For Jim – Chey Doxas – clip

Justin Time*EMI

Christine Jensen Jazz Orchestra

Treelines

Treelines

Growing up among some of
Canada’s finest musicians – saxophonist Christine Jensen and her sister
(and frequent collaborator) Ingrid (trumpet & flugelhorn) were
exposed to everything from Chopin to Broadway to Big Bands by their
pianist mother. Jensen’s first love was the piano, though when she
started studying the saxophone at age 12, Christine quickly grew to love
it as she realized that she could create her own voice through that
instrument. Now Montréal-based, she is influencing the next generation
of composers and players as an adjudicator, clinician, and instructor at
McGill University – Christine Jensen is considered “one of the most
important Canadian composers of her generation.” In her travels abroad,
she has shared her love of music and invaluable experience with young
jazz enthusiasts around the world, taking her music to Peru, Argentina,
Chile, Denmark, Mexico, Sweden, Turkey, and Haiti. Christine’s latest
work, Treelines, with her 18-piece jazz orchestra, featuring
some of Canada’s most progressive improvising musicians, is an homage to
Canada’s environment. This unique project has garnered praise for
capturing the scope of the Canadian terrain and for it’s timely and
important subtext: protecting the unique forests of our magnificent
country.01 – Dancing Sunlight – Christine Jensen Jazz Orchestra – clip

Cellar Live

Kelly Jefferson Quartet

Next Exit

Next Exit

Saxophonist and composer
Kelly Jefferson has performed with the Montréal Symphony Orchestra, The
National Arts Centre Orchestra, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Maria
Schneider, Bill Holman, Ray Anderson, Kenny Werner, Phil Woods, Clark
Terry, Michel LeGrand, Nicholas Payton, Brian Blade, as well as Ray
Brown, Sonny Fortune, Renee Rosnes, Johnny Mathis, Russell Malone and
Dee Dee Bridgewater, among others. Jefferson has toured extensively in
Canada, the U.S., Japan, Europe, Thailand, China and Korea, including a
nine-month tour in 2000 as the featured tenor saxophonist with legendary
trumpeter Maynard Ferguson. He was nominated for Saxophonist of the
Year by the National Jazz Awards from 2005 to 2009. Next Exit,
is his latest project from The Kelly Jefferson Quartet featuring
original compositions that stem from a variety of influences. An
active freelance musician, Jefferson performs regularly with groups that
include the William Carn Quintet, Manteca, Emilie-Claire Barlow, Time
Warp, the Artie Roth Quintet, the Shuffle Demons, Dave Young Quintet,
the Chris Tarry Group (2008 JUNO Award Winner, Contemporary Jazz Album
of the Year), Denzal Sinclaire and Barry Romberg’s Random Access.01 – Next Exit – Kelly Jefferson Quartet – clip

Justin Time*EMI

Matt Herskowitz

Jerusalem Trilogy

Jerusalem Trilogy

A graduate of the
renowned Juilliard School in New York and the Curtis Institute of Music
in Philadelphia, pianist, composer, songwriter and arranger, Matt
Herskowitz has distinguished himself in several musical genres. He has
performed at major festivals around the world, including the Festival
International de Jazz de Montréal, the Rhino Jazz Festival in France,
and the Hamburg and Bremen international music festivals in Germany to
name a few. Matt’s performance on the soundtrack of the Grammy-nominated
film The Triplets of Belleville has earned him much popular
and critical acclaim. He performs Bach’s Prelude in C minor in the film,
loosely posing as Glenn Gould, and Bach à la Jazz. In addition to his
own recordings he has collaborated with many artists and producers, most
notably pop diva Laura Fabien and Barry Manilow, who after hearing one
of his recordings invited Matt and his trio to join him on his 2007
Christmas release, The Swing Of Christmas, which was nominated for a Grammy Award. His most recent release – Jerusalem Trilogy
– features an appealing blend of musical styles a unique blend of
progressive jazz, contemporary classical and world music influences
creating an intoxicating world at once traditional and thrillingly new.01 – Polonaise Libanaise – Matt Herkowitz – clip

TRADITIONAL JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Death Defying

Earl MacDonald

Re: Visions, Works for Jazz Orchestra

Re: Visions, Works for Jazz Orchestra

Earl
MacDonald lives jazz, as a performer, composer and educator. Director
of jazz studies at the University of Connecticut, the Winnipeg native
earned a Bachelor of Music degree in jazz performance at McGill
University and a Master of Music degree at Rutgers, where he apprenticed
with Kenny Barron. Earl is dedicated to music education, participating
as a clinician, guest conductor and teacher at summer camps, in addition
to his teaching at the University of Connecticut. From 1998 to 2000,
Earl was the musical director, pianist, and arranger for the Maynard
Ferguson Big Bop Nouveau Band. In 2002, he won the Sammy Nestico Award
for outstanding big band arranging, and has since been selected as a
finalist for 2007 BMI / Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Award, and the
2008 ArtEZ Composition Contest in the Netherlands. Earl’s latest CD, Re:Visions – works for jazz orchestra, has been praised by jazz critics. In a review for All About Jazz, Dan Bilawsky asserts that “Re:Visions goes beyond where most big bands go and establishes Earl MacDonald as a major force in the world of jazz composition.”02 – Mr. Sunshine – Earl MacDonald – clip

Effendi*Select

Félix Stüssi 5 & Ray Anderson

Hieronymus

Hieronymus

Félix Stüssi grew up in the
canton of Glarus in Switzerland and has lived in Montréal since 1998.
Self-taught on jazz piano, he later studied with Irène Schweizer, Markus
Bischof, Christoph Baumann, Vince Benedetti, Art Lande, Jean-Christophe
Cholet and Fred Hersch. In 1996 he won two Best Band and Best Soloist
at the Zollikon Jazz Festival in Switzerland. Félix Stüssi & Give Me
Five won the prestigious Grand Prix de Jazz GM at the Festival
International de Jazz de Montréal in 2007. The two first recordings of
the quintet, Give Me Five (Outside Music/Unit Records, 2007) and Baiji (Justin
Time Rercords/EMI, 2008), were very well received on both sides of the
Atlantic. In 2010, Félix Stüssi 5 & Ray Anderson released Hieronymus.01 – Piece de Resistance – Felix Stussi 5 & Ray Anderson – clip

Exquisite

John MacLeod’s Rex Hotel Orchestra

Our First Set

Our First Set

More than 20 years on the
Canadian music scene has firmly established John MacLeod as a respected
and sought-after arranger/composer/trumpeter. John has scored music for
ensembles ranging from string quartet to full symphony orchestra. He
wrote arrangements for the acclaimed symphonic tribute to Benny Goodman –
featuring renowned Canadian clarinettist, Bob DeAngelis — this program
was performed at Carnegie Hall for the 70th Anniversary of BG’s famous
1938 concert. John was commissioned to write several big band
arrangements for Oscar Peterson in the late ‘90s and was a featured
soloist with the world renowned Boss Brass for over 15 years. John is a
frequent guest performer at jazz festivals across North America and
currently belongs to the David Braid Quartet as well as the Mike Murley
Quintet. He is a founding partner of the Champagne Symphony Orchestra
and an educator at both Humber College and the University of Toronto. As
a freelance jazz artist, John has worked with international names such
as Zoot Sims, Phil Woods, Gerry Bergonzi, Buddy Rich and Clark Terry to
name just a few.01 – The Great Danes – John MacLeod’s Rex Hotel Orchestra – clip

Addo

Kirk MacDonald Quartet

Songbook Vol.2

Songbook Vol.2

With an established
reputation as one of Canada’s leading saxophonists, Kirk MacDonald cut
his first record at the age of 13. Throughout his career, he has
received numerous awards, worked with many leading musicians, and
performed on over 40 CDs as both leader and sideman. Kirk has performed
extensively throughout Canada, and has also performed in the U.S.,
Spain, France, Italy, Holland, Monaco, Australia, Korea, Bermuda, and
the Bahamas. Over 65 performances of his compositions appear on 18 CDs
by Kirk and other artists. His most recent activities include the
release of Family Suite (2008) on Romhog Records, and JUNO Award-nominated Songbook Vol. 1 (2009) – a collection of his compositions for jazz quartet, on Addo Records. He followed up the success of Vol. 1 with Songbook Vol. 2 in
2010. Kirk also leads the Kirk MacDonald Jazz Orchestra, a 19-piece
all-star ensemble dedicated to performing his original compositions and
featuring arrangements by leading Canadian and U.S. writers. Kirk has
been an educator for over 20 years for leading jazz studies programs at
University of Toronto, McGill University, and Humber College where he
teaches improvisation, ensembles and saxophone in the Music Degree
Program and the Community Music School.01 – The Great Danes – John MacLeod’s Rex Hotel Orchestra – clip

Brooklyn Jazz Underground*BJUR

Owen Howard

Drum Lore

Drum Lore

Drummer/Composer Owen Howard
began studying drums at the age of 15. In 1988 Owen received a study
grant from the Canada Council for the Arts, which enabled him to move to
New York to complete his BFA in Jazz from The New School. It was then
that Owen began to make his mark in New York. For the past 18 years Owen
has enjoyed much success leading his own bands. He currently has five
CDs to his credit. Pentagon and Sojourn (Koch Jazz), Days Before and After and Time Cycles (Fresh Sound New Talent), and now Drum Lore
(released Aug 2010, on Brooklyn Jazz Underground Records). In addition
to his role as a leader, Owen has performed or recorded as a sideman
with such artists as Joe Lovano, Kenny Werner, Tom Harrell, Kenny
Wheeler, John Abercrombie, Dave Liebman, George Garzone, Dave Holland,
Eddie Henderson, Sheila Jordan, Jay Clayton and many others. Owen has
appeared on over 40 releases to date and has toured extensively
throughout Europe, the U.S. and Canada as both a leader and as a
freelance artist, in a wide variety of musical contexts.02 – Arboretum – Owen Howard – clip

INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Opening Day*Universal

David Braid & Canadian Brass

Spirit Dance

Spirit Dance

Touted as one of Canada’s
most gifted young pianists and composers, David Braid is among a new
generation of Canadian artists making his mark on international stages.
Braid has performed across Western Europe, Scandinavia, Asia,
Australiia, Brazil, the U.S. and Canada. He has been called “A jazz
genius to call our own,” by Maclean’s Magazine. Recently
awarded 2009 Jazz Pianist of the Year in Canada, Braid is also a
recipient of SOCAN Composer of the Year (2007), recognizing his output
of over 70 works including compositions for solo piano, jazz ensembles
and symphony orchestras. He is a JUNO Award winner, multi-National Jazz
Award winner and a recipient of the Canada Council for the Arts’ JazzID
Award. Braid has produced seven recordings, garnering four JUNO Award
nominations with five ensembles, and recently released with The Canadian
Brass his eighth album, Spirit Dance.06 – Spirit Dance – David Braid and Canadian Brass – clip

Drip Audio*Fontana North

Fond of Tigers

Continent & Western

Continent & Western

Called
“post-everything,” Fond of Tigers have been developing their hypnotic
and intense music since 2003. Since its origins as a solo project of
guitarist Stephen Lyons, the group has expanded to include its signature
double-drumkit attack and processed violin and trumpet textures along
with the artfully layered hooks. Featuring seven of Vancouver’s leading
creative musicians, Fond of Tigers play a layered, nuanced music that
explores musical possibilities ranging from the smallest gesture of
extended technique, to the full avant-rock bombast possible with a wild,
double-drumkit-led septet. The group has shared stages with Tortoise,
Deerhoof, the Grande Mothers, Shad, Mats Gustafsson, Sandro Perri, Chad
vanGaalen, and others. Notoriously hard to categorize, Fond of Tigers
continue to evolve and explore a musical territory in the outlands of
avant-rock in their latest release, Continent & Western.04 – Sept 16th, 2005 – Fond of Tigers – clip

Independent*Outside

Jayme Stone

Room of Wonders

Room of Wonders

Two-time, JUNO Award-winning banjoist Jayme Stone’s brand new album, Room of Wonders,
is inspired by folk dances from Norway, Sweden, Brazil, Bulgaria, Italy
and North America. Following the international breakout success of Africa to Appalachia,
the album features Grammy-nominated fiddle pioneer Casey Driessen,
special guest nyckelharpa craftsman Olov Johansson, trumpeter Kevin
Turcotte and many more. “JUNO Award-winning Stone, the Yo-Yo Ma of the
banjo, celebrates his new album Room of Wonders, an inquiring, sublime work inspired by folk dances the world over,” - The Globe and Mail.
“The music is as spirited as its creator. It’s hard to imagine a room
large enough to contain the talent that went into its making, or
the varied sounds it surveys” – Georgia Straight. “The Room of
Wonders of the title perhaps refers to the inside of his head – Stone’s
rich, unfettered imagination – as he pursues music inspired by folk
dances from around the world” – Toronto Star. “Once again, Stone makes you forget the instrument’s hillbilly twang: this is banjo like you’ve never heard it before” – Ottawa Citizen.01 – Krasavaska Ruchenitsa – Jayme Stone – clip

Independent*Outside

The Creaking Tree String Quartet

Sundogs

Sundogs

String-band music has long been
a staple of Americana. While the four members of Toronto’s Creaking
Tree String Quartet pay homage to that tradition, they refuse to be
bound by it. Instead, the technically dazzling outfit uses fingerboards
to leap stylistic boundaries and fuse intricate styles. The result is a
smartly intellectual and yet deeply moving sound that’s a true Canadian
original: jazz forms sliding over a rootsy bluegrass base, with flashes
of chamber music, reverence and avant-garde experimentation, heard in
their latest release, SUNDOGS. The group’s previous, their third album The Soundtrack,
was produced by Grammy winner and Nashville veteran Bill VornDick
and was nominated for a 2009 JUNO Award, and won two Canadian Folk Music
Awards, for Best Instrumentalists, and Pushing The Boundaries.02 – Ours Truly – The Creaking Tree String Quartet – clip

Strut*RED

The Souljazz Orchestra

Rising Sun

Rising Sun

Since their creation in
Ottawa, ON, back in 2002, The Souljazz Orchestra have become one of the
most potent bands in their field. Drawing on the rough, raw grooves of
the ‘60s and ‘70s and effortlessly fusing soul, jazz, afro and latin
rhythms within their music, the group have moved forward the blueprint
of Fela, Fania and the funk in entirely new ways, while keeping the
vital analogue grit intact. As a live unit, years of relentless touring
have formed the band into an in-demand fixture at venues and festivals
worldwide. Having turned heads with two fine records on the
Toronto-based Do Right! label, Freedom No Go Die (2006, featuring their breakthrough single “Mista President”) and Manifesto (2008), The Souljazz Orchestra have recently released the hotly anticipated Rising Sun
album on London-based Strut Records. Drawing on a wider canvas of
styles than ever before, touching on spiritual jazz, deep African
rhythms, and cinematic soundscapes, The Orchestra take their sound to
new heights with stunning musicianship and virtuoso arrangements
throughout. Long-time fan Gilles Peterson (BBC Radio One) has already
declared this album to be their best yet.05 – Mamaya – The Souljazz Orchestra – clip

Nous

Nous

Just two years after the very earthy L’échec du matériel
(2007) – an album that offered a lucid portrait of our time and its
materialistic society, prolific singer-songwriter Daniel Bélanger then
took us to another level with Nous, a happy, romantic flight
that felt like an ultra-groovy stroll for two. The album’s single
“Reste” has since been a major fix in Québec’s radio airplay, surely on
its way to the No. 1 spot. These last few months have also been bubbling
with intensity for Bélanger, who has been composing the musical score
to René-Richard Cyr’s adaptation of Michel Tremblay’s classic play Les Belles-soeurs, rechristened simply Belles-soeurs. A huge hit, the play will tour the province until 2013. Needless too say, Daniel Bélanger always finds a way to surprise us.01 – Reste – Daniel Belanger – clip

Les chemins de verre

Les chemins de verre

Karkwa formed in
1998 and was noticed when the Office franco-québécois pour la jeunesse
(a France–Québec youth exchange organization), invited them to perform
at the cultural expo in Paris. It wasn’t until 2001 when Karkwa truly
stepped onto the scene, making it to the final round at the 7th Annual
Francouvertes Music Festival. Karkwa confirmed its marquee role in the
world of Québec rock with their first album Le pensionnat des établis released in 2003, followed by the launch of Les tremblements s’immobilisent
(2005). In April 2008, singer/guitarist Louis-Jean Cormier, drummer
Stéphane Bergeron, keyboardist François Lafontaine, bassist Martin
Lamontagne and percussionist/singer Julien Sagot released Le volume du vent,
their landmark third album. The two years following the release of
their third album were hectic, with hundreds of performances in Canada,
France, Switzerland, United States and Lebanon. Their fourth album is
based on spontaneous impulses of creativity and was put together without
pre-production for a more organic and impressionist sound. In 2010,
Karkwa won the prestigious Polaris Music Prize as well as their 10th
Félix (Quebéc’s music award recognition) for Best Alternative Album of
the Year.11 – 28 jours – Karkwa – clip

Bonsound* Sélect

Radio Radio

Belmundo Regal

Belmundo Regal

Radio Radio is a
Montréal-based French-Acadian electro hip hop trio. Known for their
unique rapping and their catchy melodies, they have won the public over
with their highly accessible music, outrageous live performances and
original videos. Along with invitations to perform at major
international events such as the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, the
Canada Day show at Trafalgar Square in London, England, SXSW, Les
Eurockéennes de Belfort in France, The Festival International de
Louisiane, Les FrancoFolies de Montréal, the Festival d’été de Québec
(where they won the Miroir Award for Best urban/hip hop show) the CMJ,
The Halifax Pop Explosion, Pop Montréal etc… Radio Radio was also
short-listed for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize for their album Belmundo Regal,
which recently won a Felix Award for Sound Recording and Mix of the
Year at the 2010 edition of L’Autre Gala de l’ADISQ and a Nova Scotia
Music Award for Francophone Artist / Group Recording of the Year.05 – Guess What_ (feat Kim Ho) – Radio Radio – clip

CHILDREN’S ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Grafton

Gregg LeRock

Encore

Encore

Gregg LeRock has combined his
three loves – teaching French, writing songs and performing for kids –
into a single career. French teachers love Gregg’s songs because they
are curriculum-related; kids love them because, in their words, “They
rock!.” In addition to releasing three CDs (Vive LeRock, OUI! and Encore)
and performing for hundreds of thousands of students, Gregg has penned
dozens of songs for Canada’s top educational publishers; his songs are
featured in numerous French textbooks and are sung in classrooms from
coast to coast. In his own words: “I write songs that make French easy
to learn – and sing - in various musical genres.” Gregg’s high-energy
concerts feature pop, reggae, hip-hop, folk, blues and Cajun styles,
guaranteed to get every kid shakin’ and singin’ … all in French! “My
philosophy,” says Gregg, “is that the best way to teach kids is to teach
them without them knowing they’re being taught and to make French
‘cool.’ And being able to do this while playing guitar behind your head
always helps!.”01 – Mon t-shirt – Gregg LeRock – clip

The Secret Mountain*Universal

Michelle Campagne

The Little Blue Doggy

The Little Blue Doggy

Michelle Campagne
has been writing music and performing live for the past 20 years. As a
founding member of the bilingual folk-roots group Hart-Rouge, she has
produced a remarkably diverse discography that includes Inconditionnel, which dominated the Québec pop radio charts in the early ‘90s; a gospel album entitled Bonsoir Québec featuring a 30-person choir from Kentucky; and the critically-acclaimed more recent recording, Beaupré’s Home,
released in the U.S. on the prestigious indie label Red House Records.
She has performed in many countries and throughout the continent, most
notably at the Newport Folk Festival and California’s Strawberry
Festival. Michelle Campagne has also written songs for kids throughout
her career including several dozen for her sister Carmen, one of
French-Canada’s best-known singers for children. And as a performer,
she has been involved in various concept family albums such as Un trésor dans mon jardin, written by legendary Québecois poet-songwriter Gilles Vigneault, and the world music lullaby project Dream songs night songs, a recent winner of the prestigious Parents’ Choice Gold Award in the U.S.01 – The Little Blue Doggy – Michelle Campagne – clip

Two Heartbeats

Peter Lenton

Proud Like a Mountain

Proud Like a Mountain

Guitar-slinger /
songwriter Peter Lenton engages all ages with his catchy blend of bluesy
folk and interactive, heartfelt songs, with gentle messages like:
caring for the environment, peace-building and celebrating local/global
communities. He has been winning awards for years, both in the music
industry and educational communities. Most recently, his “Proud Like a
Mountain” song won the 2010 Billboard International Songwriting Award –
Americana/Folk category! And his Proud Like a Mountain album
was nominated for a 2010 Western Canadian Music Award, as one of the Top
5 recordings for children. Peter’s mischievous mix of storytelling,
high-energy singing, and skillful guitar playing make his concert
experiences and recordings a refreshing treat for all ages! Audiences
lead / write songs, play percussion instruments, and wear wacky wildlife
costumes! Peter taps music to fill concert halls, facilitate workshops
and deliver musical keynotes all across Canada and beyond in places
like Morocco, the U.S., New Zealand and Australia, proving that music
truly is the universal language. He has shared stages with David Suzuki,
Jane Goodall and Stephen Lewis…and many more at Folk and Children’s
Festivals all across Canada.01 – Proud Like A Mountan – Peter Lenton and Friends! – clip

Independent*Pacific Music/Warner

The Kerplunks

Number 3

Number 3

The Kerplunks are
award-winning children’s entertainers bringing high-energy, colourful
performances to the stage – and outfits to match! As a group they are
committed to educating through musical creativity while presenting a
wide variety of upbeat lyrics and musical styles. When they start
playing, kids are soon dancing and following along with the actions.
Even parents can’t resist getting up out of their seats and joining
along in the actions! Fronted by the dynamic female duo of Tina Jones
and Dinah D and backed up by their talented male counterparts Aaron
Cadwaladr and Phil Wipper, The Kerplunks have played some of Canada’s
best festivals, including the Vancouver International Children’s
Festival and the Winnipeg Folk Festival. They have also performed their
award-winning music in theatres and throughout BC public schools
garnering rave reviews along the way. With multiple award wins and
nominations (including two consecutive JUNO Award nominations), The
Kerplunks have gained a high level of success in a short period of time.
This standout children’s band, like their little fans, is getting
bigger every day.05 – Vowels – The Kerplunks – clip

Tri-Pop*Fire The Imagination

The Monkey Bunch

Power to the Little People

Power to the Little People

The Monkey
Bunch are here to change the way people think of children’s music!
Playing with a variety of musical stylings they engage kids with
musicality and humour, while imparting fun but important educational
messages about the environment. This high-energy music has children
dancing, rushing the stage and going BANANAS! Shoshana Sperling is a
Toronto writer/performer who has given us character-rich plays,
television and live comedic monologues. Maury LaFoy is a
musician/songwriter/producer who has played with Jann Arden, K-OS, Sarah
Harmer, Ron Sexsmith and Olivia Newton-John. A hero doesn’t need a
cape. Just the passion and confidence to fight the real fights. We, at
Monkey Bunch Headquarters, are fighting the battle at festivals, the
stage and the Internet. For that is where our soldiers reside. Then
they, in turn, will take the message out to the streets, the grocery
stores, the fields, the oceans, the sandboxes, the schools and one day…
the voting booths! Power to the Little People!08 – Poopie Diaper – The Monkey Bunch – clip

CLASSICAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR: SOLO OR CHAMBER ENSEMBLE

ATMA*Naxos

Amici Ensemble

Armenian Chamber Music

Armenian Chamber Music

The Amici
Chamber Ensemble has been at the forefront of the Canadian chamber music
scene for the past two decades. Founding members, clarinetist Joaquin
Valdepeñas, cellist David Hetherington and recent addition, pianist
Serouj Kradjian invite some of the finest musicians to join them in
eclectic programming and projects, at the same time celebrating
friendship through music; hence the name Amici. Some of the many
renowned artists who have performed with Amici in their renowned concert
series at the Glenn Gould Studio are James Ehnes, Isabel Bayrakdarian,
Shmuel Ashkenasi, Russell Braun, Michael Schade, Cho-Liang Lin, Jaime
Laredo, André Laplante and James Sommerville. Amici Chamber Ensemble
has commissioned and premiered over 20 works by Canadian composers,
among them Allan Gordon Bell, Chan Ka Nin, Brian Cherney, Malcolm
Forsyth, Jacques Hétu, Alexina Louie and Jeffrey Ryan. Alongside
numerous broadcasts of their concerts on national radio, Amici
recordings have placed them firmly among the world’s best chamber
ensembles and garnered a JUNO Award for Best Classical Composition in
1994 for “Among Friends”, and multiple JUNO Award nominations. Two
recordings of Olivier Messiaen’s “Quartet for the End of Time” highlight
their critically acclaimed discography.09 – Suite for clarinet, violin and piano – Amici Ensemble – clip

DOREMI*Allegro

Anton Kuerti

Anton Kuerti Schumann

Anton Kuerti Schumann

Anton Kuerti has
performed in recital and with leading orchestras in 41 countries. In
Canada he has appeared in 150 communities, and played with every
professional orchestra, including 41 concerts with the Toronto
Symphony. Kuerti has recorded all the Beethoven concertos and sonatas,
the Brahms and Schumann concertos, and all the Schubert sonatas, among
many other releases. A critic for Fanfare wrote simply that “Kuerti is the best pianist currently playing;” CD Review (London) called him “one of the truly great pianists of this century;” Fono Forum wrote “Anton Kuerti is one of the greatest pianists of our time,” while Gramophone
called him “one of the leading Schumann pianists of our time.” Kuerti
won the prestigious Leventritt Award when he was still a student.
Other awards and honours include Officer of the Order of Canada, the
Banff Centre National Arts Award, the Schumann Prize of the Schumann
Gesellschaft, and the Governor General’s Lifetime Artistic Achievement
Award.04 – Piano Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22 – Presto_ Passionato (original Finale) – Anton Kuetri – clip

Analekta* Select

Gryphon Trio

Beethoven : Piano Trios Op. 70 No. 1, Ghost & No. 2: Op 11

Beethoven : Piano Trios Op. 70 No. 1, Ghost & No. 2: Op 11

Formed
in 1993, the Gryphon Trio continues to delight audiences around the
globe with their highly refined and dynamic performances. Based in
Toronto, the Trio tours regularly throughout Canada, the U.S. and
Europe. Their celebrated recordings include works by Haydn, Mozart,
Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Dvorak, Lalo and Shostakovich. As
Canada’s preeminent ensemble, the Trio continues to be actively involved
in teaching and nurturing future generations of both classical
musicians and audiences. In addition to master classes at schools and
universities across North America, the Gryphon Trio members are
artists-in-residence at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music,
where Dr. Parker is the Rupert E. Edwards Chair in Piano Performance and
violinist Annalee Patipatanakoon is an Assistant Professor.01 – PIano Trio in D major (_Ghost_) – Gryphon Trio – clip

Hyperion*SRI

Marc-André Hamelin

Marc-André Hamelin- Études

Marc-André Hamelin- Études

Marc-André Hamelin (piano) is “One of the most adventurous and certainly the most courageous pianists of recent times” – International Piano Quarterly.
French-Canadian pianist Marc-André Hamelin’s flourishing international
career sees him appearing throughout North America, Europe, Australasia
and the Far East. He made his name playing rare and adventurous
repertoire, and now his output also embraces music from the classical
and romantic periods. Highlights of his recent and forthcoming concerto
engagements include performances of Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto,
Brahms’ 2nd and Rachmaninov’s 3rd. Marc-André Hamelin appears regularly
in the International Piano Series at London’s South Bank Centre and the
London Pianoforte Series at Wigmore Hall. In 2007/08 season he gave his
Haydn, Chopin, Debussy programme at the Lincoln Center, New York; the
Tchaikovsky Hall, Moscow; and Wigmore Hall, London; and in the recital
series at Boston, Chicago and San Francisco.01 – Etude #01 In A Minor, ‘Triple Etude, After Chopin’ – Marc-Andre Hamelin – clip

Marquis

Winona Zelenka

Bach : Six Suites for Solo Cello

Bach : Six Suites for Solo Cello

Renowned
for her gorgeous, invigorating tone, emotional vibrancy and superb
control, Winona Zelenka is celebrated as one of Canada’s finest
cellists. As a soloist and principal cellist, Winona has performed with
numerous orchestras, conductors and ensembles such as the Liverpool
Philharmonic Orchestra, Hallé Orchestra in Manchester, Toronto Symphony
Orchestra, the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra, the National Ballet of Canada,
the Canadian Sinfonietta, the Zuckerman Chamber Players and the Huronia
Sinfonietta. She has worked with the legendary cellist Janos Starker
and has had various works composed specifically for her by noted
composers. Winona has the privilege of regularly collaborating with
other critically acclaimed musicians and has also been the cello soloist
of such notable film scores as Atom Egoyan’s Adoration, István Szabó’s Being Julia and the IMAX film Under The Sea.
Her newest recording of the complete Bach Suites for Solo Cello has
received international acclaim and was recorded on the “Starker
Guarnerius” cello, dated 1707.01 – Suite #1 in G Major BWV 1007 – Winona Zelenka – clip

CLASSICAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR: LARGE ENSEMBLE OR SOLOIST(S) WITH LARGE ENSEMBLE ACCOMPANIMENT

Analekta* Select

Angèle Dubeau & La Pietà

Avro Pärt : Portrait

Avro Pärt : Portrait

One of Canada’s
most prominent virtuoso violinists, Angèle Dubeau has performed on the
world’s greatest stages in a spectacular career that has spanned more
than 30 years and across 30 countries. While her talent, virtuosity and
musicality have been recognized with many awards, audiences have adopted
her above all for her captivating performances, generosity and
unparalleled communications skills. Dubeau is the only Canadian
classical musician to have achieved two gold records for sales of 50,000
copies of a classical recording. Over her career, she has sold more
than 400,000 discs. Angèle Dubeau has performed the great concertos of
the repertoire as a guest soloist with numerous international
orchestras. She founded La Pietà in 1997, an all-female string ensemble
that varies in size, featuring some Canada’s best musicians.01 – Summa – Angele Dubeau & La Pieta – Arvo Part Portrai – clip

Onyx*SRI

James Ehnes

James Ehnes Plays Mendelssohn

James Ehnes Plays Mendelssohn

Grammy,
Gramophone and six-time JUNO Award-winning violinist James Ehnes is
widely considered one of the most dynamic and exciting performers in
classical music. He has performed in more than 30 countries on five
continents, appearing with many of the world’s most well-known
orchestras and conductors. This recording of Mendelssohn’s “Violin
Concerto” and “Octet (Onyx)” adds to his already extensive discography
of over 25 recordings. James has been hailed “the Jascha Heifetz of our
day” (The Globe and Mail) and was recently named to the Order of Canada.03 – FELIX MENDELSSOHN_ Violin Concerto in E minor op.64 – James Ehnes – clip

Chopin Piano Concertos

Chopin Piano Concertos

Janina
Fialkowska is a regular guest soloist with the world’s most prestigious
orchestras in North America, Europe and Asia. She has worked with such
conductors as Charles Dutoit, Bernard Haitink, Zubin Metha, Sir Georg
Solti, Leonard Slatkin, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski and many others. She has
recorded all three Liszt concertos, as well as the Paderewski,
Moszkowski and Chopin piano concertos, and a CD devoted to the music of
Karol Szymanowski. Fialkowska was the founder of the award-winning
“Piano Six” project and its expanded successor “Piano Plus,” where in a
group of internationally renowned Canadian musicians devote a period of
time each year to giving recitals and master-classes in far-flung
communities of Canada. In 2002, her career was brought to a dramatic
halt by the discovery of a tumour in her left arm. After the successful
removal of the cancer and a groundbreaking muscle-transfer procedure,
she resumed her career in January 2004. Janina Fialkowska is an Officer
of the Order of Canada and has been awarded an honourary doctorate from
Acadia University. The latest season saw her touring three continents
with engagements in Germany, England, the Netherlands, Switzerland,
Italy, the U.S., Canada and Japan.

Ancalagon*Allegro

Lara St. John

Mozart/Scott and Lara St. John/The Knights

Mozart/Scott and Lara St. John/The Knights

Canadian-born violinist Lara St. John has been described as “something of a phenomenon” by The Strad and a “high-powered soloist” by The New York Times. The Los Angeles Times
has published, “St. John brings to the stage personal charisma, an
unflagging musical imagination and genuine passion.” Lara has performed
with orchestras on five continents and in recital around the world. She
formed her own record label, Ancalagon Records in 1999, and has
recorded with orchestras including the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of
Venezuela. Her release Bach: The Six Sonatasand Partitas
for Violin Solo in 2007 was the best-selling double-album of the year
on iTunes and her recording featuring two world premiere 21st century
concertos with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra had Gramophone
praising: “It’s the sort of work that should get audiences running, not
walking, back to concert halls…” Lara has been featured in People and US News and World Report, on CNN’s Showbiz Today, and NPR’s All Things Considered, Fox News, CBC, BBC Radio 3’s In Tune and on a Bravo! Special: Live At the Rehearsal Hall.01-WAM~1 – clip

ATMA*Naxos

Les Violons du Roy under Bernard Labadie

Bonbons

Bonbons

The chamber orchestra Les
Violons du Roy borrows its name from the renowned string orchestra of
the court of the French kings. The group, which has a core membership of
15 players, was brought together in 1984 by music director Bernard
Labadie and specializes in the vast repertoire of music for chamber
orchestra, performed in the stylistic manner most appropriate to each
era. Since 2001, under the leadership of first guest conductor
Jean-Marie Zeitouni, the orchestra has begun to explore 19th and 20th
century repertoire in depth. A pillar of the musical scene in Québec
City, and well known throughout Canada and U.S., Les Violons du Roy
has, since 1988, made over a hundred concert appearances in Germany,
England, Austria, Belgium, Ecuador, Spain, France, Morocco, Mexico,
Norway, and the Netherlands. The 18 recordings made by Les Violons du
Roy have been internationally acclaimed by critics. Since 2004, the
association with the ATMA label has led to four CDs, including Water Music, winner of a Felix Award; and a JUNO Award for Piazzolla.01-FRA~1 – clip

CLASSICAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR: VOCAL OR CHORAL PERFORMANCE

Analekta* Sélect

Ensemble Caprice

Salsa baroque

Salsa baroque

Under the artistic
direction of Matthias Maute and Sophie Larivière, Ensemble Caprice is
renowned for its innovative interpretations of baroque music. Originally
formed in Germany in 1989, the ensemble is now well established in
Montréal. Since its inception, Ensemble Caprice has received national
and international acclaim for their performances of early music. The
ensemble continues to give concerts in Europe, and is regularly invited
to participate in such early music festivals as those in Bruges in
Belgium, Utrecht in The Netherlands, and in Germany the Händel Festival
in Halle and the Recorder Festival in Stockstadt. In May of 2009 the
Ensemble performed at the Internationale Händel-Festspiele in Göttingen,
and has also toured in Israel and Taiwan. Subsequent to its acclaimed
U.S. debut at the 2005 Boston Early Music Festival concert series,
Ensemble Caprice has continued to tour across North America. In November
2009 The New York Times featured a lengthy article praising them as “imaginative, even powerful, and the playing is top-flight.”01 – Chacona – Ensemble Caprice – clip

Hyperion*SRI

Gerald Finley

Great Operatic Arias

Great Operatic Arias

This Canadian
baritone has become one of the leading singers and dramatic interpreters
of his generation, with award-winning performances and recordings on CD
and DVD with major labels and performing at the world’s major opera and
concert venues in a wide variety of repertoire. His recent awards
include Best Solo Vocal Recording 2009 for Schumann’s “Dichterliebe” and
other Heine settings, and for his disc of Songs by Samuel Barber
in 2008, both at the Classic FM Gramophone Awards. This follows the
Editor’s Choice Award at the 2006 Classic FM Gramophone Awards. His
active relationship with leading conductors including Nikolaus
Harnoncourt, Sir Simon Rattle, Bernard Haitink, Alan Gilbert and Antonio
Pappano has been part of a flourishing career.01 – Tchaikovky – My Only Beloved Mathilde I Claim – Gerald Finley – clip

ATMA*Naxos

Karina Gauvin

Britten- Les Illuminations

Britten- Les Illuminations

Canada’s
superstar soprano Karina Gauvin has impressed audiences and critics the
world over with her luscious timbre, profound musicality and wide vocal
range. She has sung with many major orchestras including the Chicago
Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Orchestre
Symphonique de Montréal, Toronto Symphony, as well as period instrument
groups like Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Musica Antiqua Köln,
Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Les Violons du Roy, and Accademia
Bizantina. On the operatic or concert stage, she has performed with
conductors as diverse as Charles Dutoit, Kent Nagano, Semyon Bichkov,
Roger Norrington, Christopher Hogwood, Alan Curtis, Helmuth Rilling,
Bernard Labadie and Christophe Rousset. Also active as a recitalist, she
has collaborated with several chamber music ensembles and with pianists
Marc-André Hamelin, Michael McMahon and Roger Vignoles. A prolific
recording artist, Karina Gauvin has received multiple JUNO Award
nominations, and twice nominated for a Grammy over the past decade. She
won the JUNO Award in 2001 and 2003 with Handel’s “Silete
Venti / Apollo e Daphne” and Mozart’s “Requiem” with Les Violons du Roy,
respectively.02 – Les Illuminations, Op 18 – Karina Gauvin, Les Violons Du Roy, Jean-Marie Zeitouni – clip

Deutsche Grammophon*Universal

Measha Brueggergosman

Night and Dreams

Night and Dreams

The recipient of the
prestigious Canada Council and Chalmers Performing Arts grants, Measha
Brueggergosman has been twice nominated for JUNO Awards and won the 2008
JUNO Award for Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral Performance
for Surprise, recorded with Deutsche Grammophon, with whom she has an exclusive contract.11-MEA~1 – clip

ATMA*Naxos

musica intima

Into Light

Into Light

Internationally renowned for
their warm and engaging stage presence and unique perspective on
ensemble singing, musica intima has earned a reputation as Canada’s most
exciting vocal ensemble. But what makes musica intima truly unique is
that they rehearse and perform without a conductor. In rehearsal they
exchange ideas freely while exploring their own musical creativity. In
performance, they engage the audience with a spontaneity and freshness
all their own. Founded in 1992, musica intima has become an integral
part of Vancouver’s cultural fabric. The ensemble regularly collaborates
with local organizations, including the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra,
Pacific Baroque Orchestra, Vancouver New Music, Music in the Morning,
Vancouver Pro Musica, and the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts as
artists in residence at the Telus Studio Theatre. A distinctly Canadian
ensemble, musica intima regularly commissions and premieres works by
Canada’s leading composers, including José Evangelista, Peter Hannan,
Jocelyn Morlock, Jordan Nobles, and Jeffrey Ryan. In 2009 musica intima
was voted Best Local Classical Vocal Ensemble in Georgia Straight’s Best of Vancouver Awards. musica intima won top honours at the biennial CBC Choral Competition in 1994, 1996 and 1998.01 – Ave verum corpus – Musica Intima – clip

CLASSICAL COMPOSITION OF THE YEAR

Centrediscs*CMC

Clark Ross

Last Dance, PIANO ATLANTICA

Last Dance, PIANO ATLANTICA

Clark
Winslow Ross is a Venezuelan-born Canadian composer whose works have
been performed in England, Ireland, Israel, Japan, the U.S. and across
Canada. Guitarist Daniel Bolshoy has performed Ross’ “McGillicuddy’s
Rant” more than 70 times in North America and elsewhere, and released a
CD of the same name in 2008; it’s also featured in a 2010 CD-release by
Canadian guitarist Sylvie Proulx. Ross’ “Last Dance” was released in
Spring 2010 on a Centrediscs CD by pianist Barbara Pritchard called Piano Atlantica. A forthcoming CD by pianist Kristina Szutor, Après Scarlatti,
will include two newly-composed Ross works. Clark Ross is the founder
and Artistic Director of the annual Newfound Music Festival, and was a
founding member and past president of Toronto-based Continuum
Contemporary Music. He won Young Composer Awards in national
competitions by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and the Hamilton
Philharmonic Orchestra, and has received numerous commission grants from
the CBC, the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council and the Canada
Council for the Arts.16 – Last Dance – Last Dance – clip

ATMA*Naxos

Jocelyn Morlock

Exaudi, INTO LIGHT

Exaudi, INTO LIGHT

“One of Canada’s most astonishing musical exports” – Fanfare: the Magazine for Serious Record Collectors.
Morlock’s international career was launched at the 1999 at the
International Society for Contemporary Music’s World Music Days with
Romanian performances of her quartet, Bird in the Tangled Sky. Since
then, she has become the composer of record for significant music
competitions, including the 2008 Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music
Competition and the 2005 Montréal International Music Competition, for
which she wrote “Amore,” a tour de force vocal work that has gone on to
receive more than 50 performances and numerous radio broadcasts. New CD
releases for 2010 featuring Morlock’s work include musica intima’s Into Light,
(nominated for two 2010 Western Canadian Music Awards: Classical Album
of the Year, and Classical Composition of the Year for Morlock’s
“Exaudi”), Fringe Percussion’s eponymous debut album (nominated for a
2010 Western Canadian Music Award), pianist Rachel Iwaasa’s “Cosmphony,”
and the Canadian Chamber Choir’s In Good Company. Other notable, recent releases include Tiresias Duo’s Delicate Fires (nominated for a 2008 Western Canadian Music Award), Trio Verlaine’s Fin de Siècle and the Canadian Music Centre’s So You Want To Write A Fugue (“the most exciting disc of new Canadian music in years” – Toronto Star).07 – Exaudi – Musica Intima – clip

Centrediscs*CMC

Larysa Kuzmenko

Piano Concerto, 3 CONCERTI

Piano Concerto, 3 CONCERTI

Larysa
Kuzmenko is a Toronto-based composer and pianist. Her music has been
performed and broadcast throughout the world . Her works have been
published by Boosey and Hawkes, Plangere, and Frederick Harris, and have
been recorded on CD by many outstanding artists. Her work for solo
piano, In Memoriam to the Victims of Chornobyl, has become quite popular
with pianists. This work has just recently been published by Plangere
and was recorded on CD by Christina Petrowska Quilico. She has appeared
as a pianist in several countries, and has performed at Carnegie Hall,
the St. Lawrence Centre, Roy Thomson Hall, and Massey Hall, as well as
several other venues throughout Canada. She is currently on staff at
both the Royal Conservatory of Music and the Faculty of Music at the
University of Toronto, where she teaches piano, harmony, and
composition.07 – Piano Concerto – Larysa Kuzmenko – clip

Since
1989, Peter-Anthony Togni has received a steady stream of commissions
for choral music, string orchestra, chamber music, concertos, film
scores and solo organ and piano works. As a solo performing organist he
has toured Canada and Europe; and with his trio Sanctuary, he’s
presented new works on every occasion. Performances include St.
Bartholomew’s in New York, St. John Smith Square in London, St. Séverin
in Paris, the Dom Cathedral in Riga, Latvia, the Philharmonic Hall in
St. Petersburg, Russia, and the Oriental Arts Center in Shanghai, China.01-QUO~1 – clip

Centrediscs*CMC

R. Murray Schafer

Duo For Violin And Piano, WILD BIRD

Duo For Violin And Piano, WILD BIRD

R.
Murray Schafer, one of Canada’s pre-eminent composers who has won
national and international acclaim for his achievement not only as a
composer but also as an educator, environmentalist, literary scholar,
visual artist and provocateur. The richness and depth of works such as Loving (1965), Lustro (1972), Music for Wilderness Lake (1979), Flute Concerto (1984), THE World Soundscape Project, and the 12-part work for music theatre, Patria,
illustrates the wide range of his artistic interests. Schafer’s string
quartets are among his most significant works. His diversity belies
generalizations of style; his work could be described as a synthesis of
20th-century avant-garde techniques with the 19th-century romantic
spirit. Schafer holds honourary doctorates from universities in Canada,
France and Argentina.01 – Duo for Violin and Piano – Duo Concertante – clip

RAP RECORDING OF THE YEAR

URBNET* Fontana North

D-Sisive

Vaudeville

Vaudeville

D-Sisive is a one-man music
machine cruising to the hum of his own engine. After last year’s
triumphant return to the hip-hop limelight with both his Polaris Prize
nominated gem Let The Children Die, and his second classic full length of 2009, the acclaimed Jonestown,
one would think the accomplished Toronto MC would be content to rest on
his ever-expanding laurels. Not D-Sisive. The enigmatic one is back –
and this time taking things to an entirely new level with the epic Vaudeville.
Produced in tandem with Andrew ‘Fresh Kils’ Kilgour and featuring a
surprise cameo from legendary Canadian songsmith, Ron Sexsmith, Vaudeville
is filled with incredible hip hop tracks, smoke and mirror gags mixed
with punch lines, and intense stories. An album that showcases the wide
variety of influences and themes which only an enigmatic master of
ceremonies like D-Sisive could pull off.02 – The Riot Song – D-Sisive – clip

Cash Money*Universal

Drake

Thank Me Later

Thank Me Later

This astronomical rise to success continued into 2010 with the release of his major label debut album Thank Me Later.
After several setbacks from its original October 2009 release date, the
album was released on June 15th, 2010 preceded by lead single “Over,”
which peaked at #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at No. 1 on the Hot Rap
Songs chart. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Album Chart
and has since been certified platinum by the RIAA for sales of
approximately 1,100,000 copies in the U.S. to date. It produced three
further singles which attained chart success; “Find Your Love,” “Miss
Me” (feat. Lil’ Wayne) and “Fancy” (feat. T.I. & Swizz Beatz).04 Over – clip

Fat Beats*eOne

Eternia & MoSS

At Last

At Last

This 2005 JUNO Award nominee is
widely considered one of Canada’s foremost lyricists. Eternia continues
to knock down barriers and trailblaze across the globe for Canadian hip
hop music. She has toured extensively in Canada, the U.S.,
Mexico, Australia and Europe; those that are lucky enough to catch her
on stage credit her as one of the best live performers they have
witnessed. She has been billed with superstars such as Snoop Dogg, KRS
One, Common, Blackthought, Pharoahe Monch, MC Lyte, Ras Kass, Ice-T,
Kurupt, Jeru the Damaja, Scratch of The Roots, O.C., Bahamadia,
Roxanne Shante, Prince Paul, Necro, D-12, Saukrates, Jully Black
and many more. This year, Eternia completed her fifth full-length
recording, AT LAST, with super-producer MoSS featuring guest
appearances by some of hip hop’s elite, including Ras Kass, Rah
Digga, Lady of Rage, Jean Grae, Tiye Phoenix, Joell Ortiz, Termanology,
Reef the Lost Cauze, Tona, Maestro Fresh Wes and Lil Jaz. From The Source Magazine to Hot 97, from the National Post to CBC Radio, and Toronto to Berlin: This is undeniably the year of Eternia & MoSS…AT LAST.05 – The BBQ feat. Rah Digga And Rage – Eternia And Moss – clip

Droppin’ Science*Independent

Ghettosocks

Treat of the Day

Treat of the Day

Ghettosocks released his debut LP, Get Some Friends, in November of 2006. The following year, he released his follow-up, I Can Make Your Dog Famous Mixtape, with DJ Jorun Bombay. Socks’ latest and best work to date, Treat of the Day,
boasts 16 brand new high-cholesterol songs, featuring guest appearances
from El da Sensei, Pumpkinhead, Edgar Allen Floe, Cesar Comanche,
D-Sisive, Muneshine, Apt, and Timbuktu. Keeping a strong connection to
early ‘90s hip hop, Ghettosocks’ smooth flow on the mic, sharp wit on
the punch line, sweet tooth for pop culture, layered over thick and
crunchy beats, makes for a one-of-kind hip hop delicacy that will keep
fans coming back for more. Socks’ videos appear regularly on MuchMusic.
Since his debut on J-Bru’s “Help I’ve Been Robbed!” Socks has appeared
in rotation in videos such as Rhythmicru’s “We Have Come for you
Children,” and for his songs “Step to a T-Rex,” “Don’t Turn Around
featuring Edgar Allen Floe,” and his most recent hit “Out For Treats.”06 – Out for Treats – Ghettosocks – clip

Black Box*Fontana North

Shad

TSOL

TSOL

Shad has quickly become one of Canada’s most respected young artists. His highly anticipated third full-length album titled, TSOL, hit stores in May 2010. TSOL
is a carefully crafted mix of hard-hitting, clever rhyme schemes and
soul searching social commentary, but it also exudes a new confidence
from Shad, who the National Post praised as “Canada’s Best Rapper” in 2008. Shad’s sophomore record The Old Prince
(2007) was received with top reviews by music critics across the board,
snagging him a JUNO Award nomination for Best Rap Recording of the Year
and securing a spot on the coveted Polaris Music Prize short-list.
From Hillside to Warped Tour to opening for Common, Lupe Fiasco, K-OS
and K’Naan and his own Canadian headline tours, Shad is able to connect
with music lovers through his remarkable live show. His skillful
wordplay and smooth flow combined with his engaging live shows and seven
outstanding music videos, have allowed him to develop tribes of devout
fans worldwide. With several classics under his belt, Shad continues to
walk the humble path, appreciating the chance to share his thoughts
through music.02 – Rose Garden – Shad – clip

DANCE RECORDING OF THE YEAR

Last Gang*Universal

Chromeo

Business Casual

Business Casual

The men of Chromeo, Dave 1 and P Thugg, released their third full-length album Business Casual,
a testament to the growth and further sophistication that the band has
undergone over the years as they’ve been collaborating. After their
sophomore release, Fancy Footwork, pushed them into the stratosphere of party-rocking, club-banging, and heart-thrilling electro-funk, Business Casual can be considered their postgraduate work. The flipside of Chromeo, the emotional gangster tracks, are still here on Business Casual,
represented by titles such as “Hot Mess,” “I’m Not Contagious,” and
“You Make It Rough.” Newly added to the roster, is a straight-up pop,
vanilla sound in the best sense (creamy and smooth) heard in “The Right
Type,” a get-up-and-go tune in the greatest ‘80s tradition, and the
album closer, “Grow Up,” reminiscent of golden era Billy Joel backed up
by Cameo. In these uncertain times of financial upheaval and musical
mediocrity, Chromeo’s Business Casual is a testament to the fact that inspirational funk shall always prevail. Vive le Chromeo!03 – Night by Night – Chromeo – clip

Ultra*EMI

Deadmau5

Sofi Needs a Ladder

Sofi Needs a Ladder

Joel Zimmerman
doesn’t like being called a DJ. The dance music phenomenon, better known
as deadmau5, rolls his eyes at the description, which he sees as a
hopelessly outdated way of describing what he does. His sets are closer
to live performances. He plays mostly his own material, assembling
tracks on the fly, using cutting-edge computer technology, including
software he’s helped write himself. He’s a multiple JUNO Award nominee,
Beatport and International Dance Music Award-winning
and Grammy-nominated artist, who’s had a string of No. 1 hits on
Beatport, Billboard Dance Chart, and UK Singles Chart. This year has
seen him play at the 2010 Olympics, as house artist for the MTV VMAs,
and play a string of sold-out UK shows – his largest tour to date. He
was also named the “most influential, relevant and forward thinking
person in electronic music in the past 12 months” by Beatport. Thanks to
deadmau5, dance music just got very exciting again.01 – Sofi Needs A Ladder – deadmau5 – clip

Universal

Dragonette

Fixin’ To Thrill

Fixin’ To Thrill

For an underground pop
band, Dragonette have made a lot of noise. They have achieved Top 10
singles in France and Canada, and a Top 10 album in Canada. Dragonette
topped club charts in the UK, France and Australia, and had iTunes
“Single of The Week” on three continents. On the web, their videos have
been watched over 4 million times on YouTube, their songs have been
played over 2.5 million times on Myspace, and they have topped the
influential Hype Machine chart four times. As a live band they have
sold-out shows on four continents, and done tours with Duran Duran, New
Order and the Sugababes. They have collaborated with Basement Jaxx,
Cyndi Lauper, Martin Solveig and Kaskade (their collaboration with him
now sits at No. 5 on the U.S. album chart). In addition, their music
has been used in Grey’s Anatomy, The Hills and CSI Miami, and has soundtracked ads from Toyota, Macy’s, JC Penney, Target, Kraft, and Sony Playstation. They have been featured in Rolling Stone, Elle and Vogue, amongst others.01 – Fixin To Thrill – Dragonette – clip

Tanjola*Univeral

Keshia Chanté

Table Dancer

Table Dancer

With her third album close
to completion for a 2011 release, 22 year old singer, songwriter,
actress, Ford model and fashionista, Keshia Chanté is considered a
seasoned veteran in Canada’s entertainment industry.01 – Table Dancer – Keshia Chante – clip

CP*EMI

Mia Martina & Edward Maya

Stereo Love

Stereo Love

Jumping out of the gate
with a cover of Edward Maya’s No. 1 European hit “Stereo Love” for her
first single in Canada may seem like an odd choice for CP Records’
newest pop powerhouse, but Mia Martina has been doing things her own way
for years. Mia started working with CP Records in 2007. She got in
the studio with Belly and Danny Fernandes doing vocals and appeared on
Danny’s album Intro on the single “Nonchalant.” This was her
chance to shine as an artist. Though she enjoys being in the studio
recording, Mia’s heart beats faster on stage in front of large crowds.
She has performed with Danny Fernandes at the Summer Rush in Toronto,
and she is ready for more. People can fall in love with songs, but with
Mia, she feels the strongest connection live, where people can fall in
love with her. With a team that constantly pushes her creatively and
musically, Mia has direction – something very few artists in the
business today posses. She knows what she can offer her fans and
showcases it in her debut album with Belly, Da Heala and RyanDan. Mia’s
work is nothing short of extraordinary.Stereo Love – Edward Maya & Mia Martina – clip

R&B/SOUL RECORDING OF THE YEAR

Lone Wolf*EMI

Karl Wolf

Nightlife

Nightlife

First Africa, then the world.
The phenomenal success of his inventive remake of Toto’s hit “Africa”
launched Karl Wolf into the international spotlight, but this was far
from a case of ‘overnight success syndrome.’ This multi-talented
Montréaler has long enjoyed serious peer and music industry respect in
Canada as a producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and singer of
true skill and vision. Thanks to “Africa,” Karl Wolf’s music is now
reaching the global marketplace, and his new album, Nightlife, dramatically confirms he’s the real deal. As his third solo record, Nightlife
is an artistic triumph. Musically, it’s an accessible and highly
melodic fusion of R&B, hip-hop, pop and dance music elements, a
sound equally at home on pop and urban radio and the club dance floor.
Vocally, Wolf’s sweetly soulful delivery is a constant pleasure, while
lyrically he digs deep, probing matters of the heart with real flair.03 – 80s Baby – Karl Wolf – clip

Independent

Keshia Chanté

Test Drive

Test Drive

With her third album close
to completion for a 2011 release, 22 year old singer, songwriter,
actress, Ford model and fashionista, Keshia Chanté is considered a
seasoned veteran in Canada’s entertainment industry.01 – Test Drive – Keshia Chante – clip

EMI

Quanteisha Benjamin

Stars

Stars

In 2008, Edmonton-based R&B
singer Quanteisha was the winner of the Bounce 91.7’s Fourth Annual
Bounce Showdown Talent Search. With this win, Quanteisha was awarded the
opportunity to work with Canadian hit makers HipJoints (Kelly
Rowland/Kreesha Turner), who produced a two-song demo for the upcoming
artist. “Cover Girls,” the first of the two songs released to radio in
September 2008. The following month Quanteisha was voted CHUM Emerging
Artist of the Month by CHUM Music Directors from all across Canada.
With only a few years of experience, Quanteisha’s resume includes
opening for Divine Brown, Kardinal Offishall, and Finger Eleven and
having her first single “Cover Girls” licensed for use on the Canadian
television show Da Kink In My Hair. Quanteisha’s first music
video for her song “Cover Girls” was released to MuchMusic on June 19,
2010 and her newest single “Stars” was recently released to radio.01 – Stars – Quanteisha Benjamin – clip

Cordova Bay*Fontana North

Raghav ft. Kardinal Offishall

So Much

So Much

Fusing his musical influences
of hip-hop, R&B, Bollywood, reggae, Indian classical music and
soul, Canadian born singer Raghav, is set to release a new album in
2011. Signed to Cordova Bay Records, the 29-year-old Calgarian, first
came on the national radar in 2007 when The Globe and Mail
profiled him as one of “Canada’s best kept secrets in the arts.”
Produced by Labrinth and featuring Kardinal Offishall, Raghav’s first
single “So Much” has been making waves on CHR and Hot AC stations across
Canada and is proving why this hometown talent is such a massive star
in both South Asia and the UK resulting in 1.5 million sales
worldwide. The success of this award-winning artist and his long list of
high profile collaborators is quickly becoming breaking news in North
America.01 – So Much feat. Kardinal Offishall – Raghav – clip

Independent

SILVER (aka Solitair) ft. Kardinal Offishall

Come True

Come True

Silver is a multitalented ,
JUNO Award-nominated, positive Canadian role model who provides nothing
but inspirational music to his fans around the world. The international
artist, producer and songwriter, Silver, formerly known as Solitair, is
the co-founder of the renowned Black Jays Production Team along with
Kardinal Offishall. After more than a decade of producing hits such as
the JUNO Award nominated hip hop classic, “ Easy to Slip” from the Beat
Factory compilation album, Rap Essentials 2001, Silver continues to collaborate with elite artists from all over the globe. His upcoming full length release, The Departure,
is aptly titled as it demonstrates Silver’s musical evolution. The
album is a departure from predictable hip hop elements and fuses rock,
pop, and alternative genres in his music. The Departure
includes collaborations with heavy hitters such as Lil Wayne, Estelle,
Nina Sky, and Kardinal Offishall. Silver’s first single release, “Come
True,” featuring Kardinal Offishall, marries the alternative ‘90s sound
with hip hop. With hit singles, collaborations with international
artists, producers and throngs of new fans on the rise, Silver has not
only raised his presence in the industry, he has also solidified his
place as a defining voice in Canadian music.01 – Come True (feat Kardinal Offishall) – Silver (aka Solitair) – clip

REGGAE RECORDING OF THE YEAR

Renegade Rocker* Fontana North/Universal

Dubmatix

System Shakedown

System Shakedown

Dubmatix is one of
Canada’s premiere dub, reggae and electro artist/producer and 2010 JUNO
Award winner for Best Reggae Recording. Dubmatix performs all
instruments on each of his releases including drums, guitar, bass,
piano/keyboard, melodica, percussion. Having imprinted his name in the
minds of reggae fans worldwide with his debut release Champion Sound Clash
in 2004, the Toronto-born producer is now firmly established as one of
the top reggae producers worldwide with three chart-topping releases
that includes the 2009 JUNO Award-nominated “Renegade Rocker” and the
2010 JUNO Award win for Best Reggae Recording plus international acclaim
and a list of collaborations that include some of reggae’s most
influential legends such as the late Alton Ellis (The Godfather of
Rocksteady), The Mighty Diamonds, Michael Rose (Black Uhuru & Grammy
Award Winner), the Cool Ruler, Gregory Isaacs and many more.04 – celebrate my love (feat jay douglas) – Dubmatic clip

D’Maestro Music*Independent

Elaine Lil’Bit Shepherd

Likkle But Mi Tallawah

Likkle But Mi Tallawah

This lyrically
conscious, fresh work of art is rooted in reggae and infused with soul,
jazz and R&B. It is a true reflection of Shepherd and her musical
style. The album includes a duet entitled “Jeopardize” with artist
Humble, 2009 JUNO Award winner for Best Reggae Recording. It will also
include her No. 1 titled track “Lady In The Streets,” which has been
receiving rave, reviews. Recognized as the RMAA’s “Most Promising New
Artist” for 2010 she is definitely a force to be reckoned with.
Blessed with a killer voice and creative ability, Lil’Bit is recognized
as “the little girl with the big voice.” Her sweet, feathery tone is a
stark contrast to her soulful power. In high-school she took up guitar
and piano, and began concentrating heavily on her songwriting. While
studying jazz and contemporary voice in college, Shepherd began
collaborating with musicians who would eventually introduce her to the
world of hi hop, R&B, and reggae. More recently, she has emerged
as one of Vancouver’s brightest young singer-songwriters, and a
recording contract is her ultimate goal. Her life inspired debut album Lady In The Streets is due to be released in the Spring of 2011.11 – Likkle But Mi Tallwah – Elaine ‘Lil Bit’ Sheperd – clips

Independent

Lyndon John X (LJX)

Brighter Days

Brighter Days

If you love roots rock reggae, you will find it in the latest album Brighter Days, by artist Lyndon John X. It is a classic example of new school reggae with an old school approach to roots music. Brighter Days
is the much anticipated follow-up to LJX’s 2008 Juno Award-nominated
debut album Two Chord Skankin’. The title track has set the airwaves
ablaze and was featured on Canada’s largest CTV news network Canada AM.
LJX’s live news performance marked a historic moment in Canadian
broadcasting as a reggae artist has not been featured live on national
TV in over a decade. Brighter Days is currently charting in
Canada and on rotation in the U.S. and Jamaica. LJX’s sound has been
compared to Steel Pulse and Bob Marley which are both honourable
comparisons but his vocals, skank and overall sound are truly original.
Now performing internationally, Lyndon feels even more excited to
spread his positive reggae vibes to fans everywhere. He feels “reggae
has and will forever be a revolutionary tool to broadcast injustices and
project hope for the future on a global level!”.04 – Brighter Days – Lydon John X (LJX) – clip

Phylan*Sound Quake

Tony Anthony

Million Chance

Million Chance

Tony Anthony’s Million Chance
is currently No. 3 on the Jamaican Top 10 Album Chart and climbing. The
album debuted at No.5 on the 50 most highly recommended album chart in
Europe. Two singles released from the album “Torn” and “Bad News” are
on high rotation on reggae radio worldwide. “Torn” was No. 1 on the
Canadian Reggae chart for eight weeks, and is currently No. 2 on the
Jamaica Top 20 reggae chart and climbing. It has debuted at No. 20 on
the Caribbean Top 30 Reggae Singles chart. The videos for “Torn” and
“Bad News” are on heavy rotation in Jamaica and other Caribbean music
programs, and has gained many hits on YouTube. Tony Anthony has
performed in many Canadian cities, Jamaica, other Caribbean Islands,
Portugal and is currently booked to appear in England, Slovania,
Czechoslovakia and Germany in December. Tony Anthony was awarded Top
Reggae Male Vocalist of the Year in Canada for 2010 by the Canadian
Reggae Achievements Awards. In 2009 his song “Mark and the Beast” was
awarded Song of the Year by the Canadian Reggae Music Awards.05 – Torn – Tony Anthony – clip

Independent

Tonya P

Don’t Want to Go

Don’t Want to Go

When her first single
“With Me” hit the streets, fans were amazed by its powerful combination
of modern R&B with the sweet sound of reggae and soul. Tonya P has
truly become the voice for young women across the globe. She has a
unique style that is adored by many and a voice that is comparable to
none. Tonya was born and raised in Toronto, where she began singing in
her high school music productions at the age of 14. She was always very
much influenced by reggae singers Bob Marley, Dennis Brown, and Marcia
Griffiths not to mention the R&B singers of her time – Whitney
Houston, Mary J Blige and Faith Evans to name a few. However coming
from a Jamaican background gave her the ability to feel and relate to
the reggae culture. When asked about her inspiration for her music she
responded “Three things – Life, Love and Pain.” It is evident that
Tonya’s music comes from the heart with a pure truth that everyone can
relate to. The new single “Don’t Wanna Go” is receiving rave reviews
along with heavy airplay on Toronto’s top Reggae programs.01 – Don’t Wanna Go – Tonya P – clip

ABORIGINAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR (SPONSORED BY ABORIGINAL PEOPLES TELEVISION NETWORK)

Independent

CerAmony

CerAmony

CerAmony

The band name, CerAmony (in
which the A is represented by a sacred ceremonial tent) came to Pakesso
upon waking up from a dream one day. Both members agreed that it was a
perfect name in the universal aspect that every race, religion and creed
have ceremonies. The logo was designed by Pakesso’s sister (and
Matthew’s wife) Natazia Mukash. Unshakeable and unwavering, CerAmony’s
ambitions have since been aimed at a global appeal. This pride and
message can also be shared with CerAmony’s brothers and sisters from
other indigenous nations worldwide. CerAmony’s music is designed for
the masses. From arena anthems like “Looks Like Change (To Me)” and “Our
Guns,” to the light-hearted songs like “Live Again” and “Round N’
Round,” the band’s sound isn’t rooted in one genre, but is spread across
many. It is this variety that brings together not only fans of all
genres, but from all walks of life. And when a band can excite a crowd
of many coloured spirits and have them sing with one voice, then they
have truly achieved what all ceremonies are designed to do; Unify.04 – Shine Alive – CerAmony – clip

Independent

Derek Miller

Derek Miller with Double Trouble

Derek Miller with Double Trouble

Guitarist
and singer/songwriter Derek Miller is a journeyman musician with
eclectic taste and a knack for roots inflected rock. Miller became
interested in music in his early teens, and by the late ‘90s had not
only toured with iconic Canadian vocalist Buffy Sainte-Marie. Derek’s
next album Derek Miller with Double Trouble takes us to the
heart of Native Americana romanticism. It uses vintage tones and
aesthetics of ‘50s rock and roll with a modern twist, telling the story
of a mythical man who has a blind moment of insanity and the events that
got him to that point. The development in his newest recordings
describe in a metaphoric way, the trials and tribulations of the
artist. “The album is my attempt to create the feeling I got from soul,
blues and country records I have listened to. Hillbilly Soul with some
Mohawk swagger.” Derek Miller is a dynamic performer, whether you
catch him live or are listening to his studio albums, you can get a real
sense of an artist striving for the pursuit of perfection in his work
and life.03 – Stoned for Days – Derek Miller – clip

Rising Sun

Eagle & Hawk

The Great Unknown

The Great Unknown

One listen to Eagle
& Hawk’s distinctive sound and you’ll be hooked. By blending
inspired vision with musical talent, Eagle & Hawk have created a
progressive style of ‘rock’ steeped in roots, fusion, and solid
songwriting that continues to earn fans – and loads of fanfare –
worldwide. Eagle & Hawk’s music takes the lead in defining the
genre of contemporary Indigenous music. Envisioning a sound that fused
modern music styles with traditional elements, guitarist and bandleader
Vince Fontaine founded Eagle & Hawk in 1994. The journey took the
band from Winnipeg, MB, to stages in European capitals where they
blasted onto the scene with a powerful force. Eagle & Hawk are best
known for live shows that are energizing, interactive, and simply
irresistible. The front man on stage is lead vocalist Jay Bodner, whose
rich voice and charm has captivated audiences from coast to coast in
Canada, across Europe, and throughout the U.S. Rounding out the band is
drummer Marty Chapman, bass player Lawrence “Spatch” Mulhall and
traditional singer Ray “Coco” Stevenson. Eagle & Hawk have a full
symphony repertoire of their music, which they have performed several
times with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.07 – Watersong – Eagle & Hawk – clip

Stressed Street*Fontana North/Universal

Joey Stylez

The Black Star

The Black Star

Right from an early age,
Joseph Laplante was attracted to music. Born in Saskatchewan, his first
spoken language was Cree. As a child, Laplante always attended pow
wows, joining in and singing with the older drum groups. His hunger to
perform, and love for the spotlight was a clear foreshadow of his future
endeavors. Raised in a low income, single-mothered family, Laplante
faced the same adversities as many Aboriginal youth; exposed to
violence, drugs, alcohol. As the eldest son of nine children, he had no
value for life and was caught up in the viscous cycle which he knew
best. However, after losing many family and friends, Laplante refused to
become another tragic statistic. Music was the gateway to separate
himself from the destructive path otherwise ahead. Laplante left home,
moving from city to city to chase his dreams. Upon returning to his
native land years later, Joseph was determined to bring mainstream
attention to Native Americans. By creating a unique fashion, sound and
look, Joey used his “stylez” to captivate a wide audience. With
continued hard work, Stylez strives to destroy negative stereotypes,
enlighten society of current misconceptions and empower Native Americans
to reach their full potential.12 – Kool Runnin – Joey Stylez – clip

Ojiji

Little Hawk

Vigilance

Vigilance

Music can motivate. Music
can inspire. Music can change the world. Blending a folk/roots
approach with sounds and instrumentation of traditional First Nation
musical understandings, Little Hawk forges a remarkably compelling
musical style with lyrics that will linger long after the song has
ended. The songs of Little Hawk will echo in your soul, take root in
your heart. This is music as it should be, music that dares us to
think. Little Hawk’s first two album releases, 1492-1975 and Home And Native Land,
garnered a number of accolades including a JUNO nomination, three
Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards, and two Aboriginal Peoples Choice
Music Awards. Little Hawk’s latest release Vigilance is a powerful, far reaching collection of songs that promises to continue to push boundaries, offer hope, and ask questions.03 – $13,000 – Little Hawk – clip

ROOTS & TRADITIONAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR: SOLO

Independent

Del Barber

Love Songs For The Last Twenty

Love Songs For The Last Twenty

Born and
raised on the Canadian prairies, Del Barber has found a new home on
stage, winning audiences across Canada and the U.S. with raw talent and
ample doses of charm. With wide eyed ambition and work ethic second to
none, in two short years Barber has released two full length records and
found the time to tour coast to coast and back again, playing well over
300 dates everywhere from Halifax to Albuquerque. At 27 years old,
Barber’s road tested collection of tunes are just beginning to make
their mark on Canada’s competitive roots scene. With the release of his
sophomore record Love Songs For The Last Twenty, Barber has
transformed from an almost unknown singer-songwriter into an artist in
demand. Hitting the well trodden stages of the Winnipeg Folk Festival,
Barber’s latest record has been met with critical praise and has found
its home on college radio charts across the country. Named as
Winnipeg’s finest songwriter by CKUW veteran Darren Day and and quoted
as having “That Woody Guthrie Wanderlust” by Mitch Podolak of Home
Routes, Barber is the latest young songwriter to emerge from the fertile
musical breeding grounds of Winnipeg, MB.04 – Miles and Years – Del Barber – clip

Six Shooter*Warner

Justin Rutledge

The Early Widows

The Early Widows

Rutledge’s following
has flourished from the loyal local fans and media he attracted from his
year-long residency at Toronto’s Cameron House in 2004, to
international recognition and respect. Signed to Six Shooter Records,
Justin Rutledge’s albums garner impressive amounts of critical acclaim.
Between his debut, No Never Alone (2005), his sophomore release, The Devil On A Bench In Stanley Park (2006) and third album, Man Descending
(2008), Rutledge has earned a JUNO Award nomination, a Galaxy Rising
Star Award, countless year-end critics’ picks, the title of Toronto’s
Best Local Songwriter (NOW Magazine), a spot on the 2008 and
2010 Polaris Prize long-lists and several Canadian Folk Music Award
nominations. Justin has shared the stage with artists such as Blue
Rodeo, Dolly Parton, Martha Wainwright and Great Lake Swimmers.
Rutledge’s forthcoming album, The Early Widows, which was
released in 2010 on Six Shooter Records, came from a collaboration with
Michael Ondaatje (The English Patient) for an upcoming theatre work
based on Ondaatje’s novel Divisadero.01 – Be A Man – Justin Rutledge – clip

High Romance*True North

Lynn Miles

Fall For Beauty

Fall For Beauty

Lynn Miles is one of
Canada’s most accomplished singer-songwriters. With seven albums to her
credit, the winner of multiple Canadian Folk Music Awards, and a 2003
JUNO Award for Roots & Traditional Solo Album of the Year, she has
certainly found her strength over time. Through a career that has seen
her move from Ottawa to Los Angeles and back again, with stops in
Nashville and Austin, she has always written music with unbridled
feeling and vulnerability. Miles has consistently been unflinching in
putting herself out there. With her eighth studio offering Fall For Beauty,
the voice of her experience has truly elevated her songwriting to its
richest depth of emotion. While her melodies undulate between
traditional country and folk roots, on Fall For Beauty, it’s her sensitivity to the world around her that pours itself directly into Miles’ music to make it stand out.01 – Something Beautiful – Lynn Miles – clip

Black Hen*Fontana North

Old Man Luedecke

My Hands Are On Fire and Other Love Songs

My Hands Are On Fire and Other Love Songs

My Hands Are On Fire and Other Love Songs is the follow up to Old Man Luedecke’s JUNO Award-winning album, Proof Of Love.
Recorded largely “live off the floor” in Vancouver, the album brings a
unique band sound to Old Man Luedecke’s timeless material. Bluegrass
legend Tim O’Brien is featured on every song. This recording once again
pairs Old Man Luedecke with award-winning producer Steve Dawson, who has
produced all three of his releases so far. Old Man Luedecke has become a
major concert draw in Canada, and has begun touring in Europe and the
U.S., performing at clubs, concerts and festivals. It features all new
original material, plus a cover of the classic Willie P. Bennett song
“Caney Fork River.” Old Man Luedecke will support this release with tour
dates worldwide, both as a solo performer and with a band.01 – Lass Vicious – Old Man Luedecke – clip

Mighty Wren*Independent

Ruth Moody

The Garden

The Garden

Ruth Moody is a JUNO
Award-winning songwriter from Winnipeg, MB. Founding member of the
internationally renowned, Billboard-charting trio The Wailin’ Jennys and
former lead singer of the Canadian roots band Scruj MacDuhk (later
becoming The Duhks), she has performed in sold-out venues around the
world, made numerous critically-acclaimed albums, and has appeared more
than a dozen times on the U.S. radio show A Prairie Home Companion.
Ruth was a finalist in the USA Songwriting Competition and was
recognized by the International Songwriting Competition for her song
“One Voice,” which has been covered by countless artists. In July 2010,
Ruth released her highly-anticipated solo album The Garden on
Red House Records. Produced by JUNO Award nominee David Travers-Smith
and featuring an all-star cast including Kevin Breit, Luke Doucet,
Crooked Still, and a guest appearance by The Wailin’ Jennys, it has been
met with high praise from critics: “In an era of hard-edged production,
this is a soft, pretty recording that wears well with many, many
listenings” – Sing Out! “Her seductive soprano is pure joy” – Huffington Post. She is currently touring both solo and with The Wailin’ Jennys.03 – Travellin’ Shoes – Ruth Moody – clip

ROOTS & TRADITIONAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR: GROUP

Independent*Select

Chic Gamine

City City

City City

In 2007, four women travelled
halfway across the continent to stand together with one man for the
very first time in a Montréal basement, throw together some songs in a
home recording studio, and make a demo. It was the start of a journey
that, in less than two years, would take five musicians from that
fateful basement to Canada’s top stages, critics’ ‘Best of’ lists, and
beyond. The furious pace of this musical momentum is the first hint that
Chic Gamine is not quite like the others. This is not your grandpa’s
vocal music. All five members pen stories about the beautiful longings
of life, tied up by ribbons of exquisite four-part harmonies and Doaud’s
flashes of just-right drumming. Call it music for a band where all the
parts just happen to be played by voices and, no matter how those vocals
rise and fall, the feeling of their movement, the pull in the ribcage,
the tingle in the spine, remains the same. Call it pop-vox ‘n ‘roll. Or
just call it Chic Gamine, and leave it at that.01 – Closer – Chic Camine – clip

Campus*Universal

Dala

Girls from the North Country- Dala Live in Concert

Girls from the North Country- Dala Live in Concert

Amanda
Walther and Sheila Carabine of Dala have come a long way in a short
time. The two best friends, who met in their high school music class and
wrote their first song together in 2002, have since performed at
Toronto’s legendary Massey Hall a total of seven times. Darlings of the
Canadian music scene, Dala are now poised to bring their fresh brand of
neo-folk music to the world. “Dala can sing! What beautiful flights of
melody and harmony, reminiscent of the Everly Brothers, the Louvin
Brothers, Emmylou Harris and associates; though Dala can trade a melody
line and leave one wondering who is taking the lead and simply leave one
behind when the harmonies kick in” – Peterborough Examiner.
Dala have toured across Canada six times, opening for artists such as
Jann Arden, Tom Cochrane, Matthew Good, Stuart McLean of the CBC’s Vinyl Café and most recently, Chantal Kreviazuk. They have released five albums and a live DVD, Girls from the North Country- Dala Live in Concert.10 – Horses – Dala – clip

Borealis*Universal

Le Vent du Nord

La part du feu

La part du feu

Since its inception in
August 2002, Le Vent du Nord have been enjoying rocketing success. They
have received several prestigious awards, including a JUNO Award. The
band is now one of the most-loved Québec folk outfits throughout the
world. The group’s current line-up consists of
singers/multi-instrumentalists Nicolas Boulerice, Simon Beaudry, Olivier
Demers, and Réjean Brunet. Some of their songs come from traditional
folk repertoire, while others are original compositions. On stage, these
four friends achieve peaks of happiness they eagerly share with any and
all audiences. Le Vend du Nord know how to deliver music that will move
any crowd – to their feet and in their hearts! This is undoubtedly
music of the here and now.02 – Octobre 1837 – Le Vent Du Nord – clip

Independent*Outside

The Creaking Tree String Quartet

Sundogs

Sundogs

String-band music has long been
a staple of Americana. While the four members of Toronto’s Creaking
Tree String Quartet pay homage to that tradition, they refuse to be
bound by it. Instead, the technically dazzling outfit uses fingerboards
to leap stylistic boundaries and fuse intricate styles. The result is an
intellectual and yet deeply moving sound that’s a true Canadian
original: jazz forms sliding over a rootsy bluegrass base, with flashes
of chamber music, reverence and avant-garde experimentation. The group’s
third album, The Soundtrack, was produced by Grammy winner and
Nashville veteran Bil VornDick and was nominated for a 2009 JUNO Award,
and received two Canadian Folk Music Awards for Best Instrumentalists
and Pushing The Boundaries.02 – Ours Truly – The Creaking Tree String Quartet – clip

Independent*Outside

The Marigolds

That’s the State I’m In

That’s the State I’m In

The Marigolds
are a roots-music ensemble of award-winning singer-songwriters: Suzie
Vinnick, Gwen Swick and Caitlin Hanford. Their original compositions
combine the timeless and classic genres of traditional country and
bluegrass, Appalachian ballads, country and electric blues with rockin’
grooves and soulful, angelic harmonies. They deliver with skill and
grace. Instrumentally the line-up features Gwen Swick on electric bass,
Caitlin Hanford on rhythm guitar and Suzie Vinnick on lead guitar. The
Marigolds are accompanied by versatile drummer and percussionist Randall
Coryell. On their sophomore release, “That’s the State I’m In,” the
Marigolds are joined by JUNO Award-winning Steve Dawson, as producer and
contributing musician. All of the songs were written or co-written by
Gwen, Suzie and Caitlin. The songs travel an inspired journey through
lost love, found love, redemption and optimism and feature soaring
harmonies, gorgeous melodies and sublime grooves. Through festivals,
radio airplay and concert venues, the past several years have witnessed
the joy audiences have found in the Marigolds’ music and, thus, their
rise in the Canadian roots music arena. The Marigolds were recently
nominated for Vocal Group of the Year for the 2010 Canadian Folk Music
Awards.07 – Somtimes I Think I Can Fly – The Marigolds – clip

BLUES ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Electro-Fi*Outside

FATHEAD

Where’s The Blues Taking Me

Where’s The Blues Taking Me

Fathead may
be the best blues and roots band to come out of Canada since Ronnie
Hawkins hired the future-band to become his backup group, The Hawks, in
the mid-1950s. An ultra-tight ensemble, Fathead brings together some of
the country’s most respected musicians to create an energetic blend of
funk, soul and rockin’ blues. Real Blues magazine referred to
the group’s harp and guitar-dominated sound as “one of those rare, much
sought after, but seldom achieved, chemical/spiritual reactions that
happens when all the right ingredients come together: talent,
personality, humour, united vision and a little bit of hoodoo/voodoo.” The Toronto Star praised “If the blues were a sports league, Fathead would be the equivalent of an all-star team,” FATHEAD’s latest CD WHERE’S THE BLUES TAKING ME
is the crown jewel in the band’s seven CD catalogue thus far and
creates a fresh sound that is immediately recognizable as their own.
This show-stopping group has previously been awarded two JUNO Awards.
They have a ball wherever they play and it shows!02 – Where’s the Blues Taking Me_ – Fathead – clip

Dog My Cat*SRI

Harry Manx

Bread And Buddha

Bread And Buddha

Harry Manx has been
dubbed an “essential link” between the music of East and West, creating
musical short stories that wed the tradition of the blues with the depth
of classical Indian ragas. He forged this distinctive style under a
rigorous five-year tutelage with Vishwa Mohan Bhatt in India. Bhatt is
the inventor of the 20-stringed Mohan Veena, which has become Harry’s
signature instrument. Manx’s Indo-blues hybrid is a direct byproduct of
the nomadic life he has led. Born on the Isle of Man, Manx spent his
childhood in Canada and left in his teens to live in Europe, Japan,
India and Brazil. He is a prolific artist, releasing 10 albums in a
10-year span. Manx has received six Maple Blues Awards, five JUNO Award
nominations, the Canadian Folk Music Award in 2005 for Best Solo Artist
and won CBC Radio’s Great Canadian Blues Award for 2007. Blend Indian
folk melodies with slide guitar blues, add a sprinkle of gospel and some
compelling grooves and you’ll get Manx’s unique “mysticssippi” flavour.
It’s one that is hard to resist, easy to digest and keeps audiences
coming back for more.03 – Dew On The Roses – Harry Manx – clip

Black Hen*Fontana North

Jim Byrnes

Everywhere West

Everywhere West

Jim Byrnes’ fourth
album for Black Hen Music, finds Jim collaborating once again with
producer Steve Dawson. Jim and Steve have worked together on all of his
award-winning albums in the last decade. Jim’s bluesiest album in years Everywhere West
includes raw and stripped-down takes on classic material and some
originals by Jim himself. While he has been focussing on gospel-oriented
blues for his last two albums (the JUNO Award-winning House of Refuge and 2008’s My Walking Stick), Everywhere West
brings him back to the music of his youth, with some of the greatest
performances of his career on songs by Jimmy Reed, Lowell Folsom, The
Mississippi Sheiks, Tampa Red and many more. Jim and Steve’s
collaborations have resulted in three JUNO Award nominations, a JUNO
Award win, as well as many awards at the Western Canadian Music Awards,
The Canadian Indie Awards, The Maple Blues Awards, and the Canadian Folk
Music Awards.01 – Hot As A Pistol – Jim Byrnes – clip

Pour Soul*Independent

The Johnny Max Band

It’s A Long Road

It’s A Long Road

To listen to Johnny
Max tell it, and to watch Johnny Max present it, you understand very
quickly that there’s more to creating great music than simply performing
a first-rate piece of music well. It’s much more all encompassing than
that. Johnny’s take includes engaging the audience, making his show
accessible. He wants to more than simply feed off the audience, he looks
to make them part of the experience. And he does so with his good
natured wit. Johnny’s music doesn’t always follow conventional Blues
lines. Rather than be confined to the traditional 12 bar influenced
forms, this veteran of the musical wars favours substance rather than
convention. Reasoning that “it’s all Blues”, Max opts for the feeling in
what he characterizes as “music to move your groove by”.01 – Daddy’s Little Girl – The Johnny Max Band – clip

Black Hen*Fontana North

The Sojourners

The Sojourners

The Sojourners

The Sojourners return
with their second album in two years. Produced once again by JUNO
Award-winning producer Steve Dawson, their new self-titled album The Sojourners packs more energy and excitement into their recordings than ever before.01 – Nobody Can Turn Me Around – Sojourners – clip

CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN/GOSPEL ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Independent*David C. Cook

Article One

Clarity

Clarity

Article One is a
violin-pop-rock group from London, ON. They have performed across North
America and Australia and have toured with Newsboys, Starfield,
Superchick, etc. They desire to serve the church and they hope that
their new album Clarity will be a musical and spiritual blessing to believers worldwide.06 – Move Me – Article One – clip

Soultone*Fontana North

Greg Sczebel

Love & the Lack Thereof

Love & the Lack Thereof

Greg
Sczebel is not just your average twenty-something “soul” singer. If
anything, he’s the exact opposite. Or maybe he’s just trying his
darndest to bring the soul back to popular music – like when Chuck,
Stevie, Mick, Freddie and The King of Pop reigned on the Hit Parade.
This is the type of artist Greg Sczebel aspires to be, and the type of
music he works relentlessly at creating. Intently staying independent
for the past eight years (despite interest from major U.S. labels),
Sczebel chose to pursue longevity over instant fame and determined to
build a career the old fashioned way – through hard work and innovative
music. And this decision has paid off. He’s received national and
international recognition, including a JUNO Award, WCMA, and three
awards from Yoko Ono and David Sonenberg’s esteemed John Lennon
Songwriting Contest. Sczebel has performed numerous times with Paul
Brandt, Michael Bublé, David Foster and most recently, was chosen to
write and record with Los Angeles producer, Toby Gad, who’s credits
include writing and producing Beyonce’s smash hit, “If I Were a
Boy”. Sczebel’s new release, Love & the Lack Thereof, is currently available at music stores nationwide.04 – How Am I Supposed to Breathe – Greg Sczebel – clip

Manafest*Fontana North

Manafest

The Chase

The Chase

Over the past seven years,
Chris Greenwood has used the moniker Manafest to organically build his
fan base playing hundreds of shows on three continents. In 2006,
Manafest released Glory from which the rock anthem
“Impossible,” featuring Thousand Foot Krutch’s Trevor McNevan, became a
global hit. This release dramatically increased his record sales five
times over. In 2008, Manafest followed up with Citizens Activ,
which catapulted to success garnering multiple TV placements and
presence in the U.S. and internationally. After three records that
received international acclaim including huge success in Japan, JUNO
Award nominee Manafest (aka Chris Greenwood) returns to partner with BEC
Recordings for his latest release, The Chase. This fourth studio project is Manafest’s most aggressive and sonically evolved record to date. The Chase
is produced by Adam Messinger (Chris Brown, Justin Bieber, The Cab) and
features eleven tracks of gritty guitars, aggressive rhymes fusing rock
and rap styles.06 – Avalanche – Manafest – clip

InPop* David C. Cook/EMI

Newworldson

Newworldson

Newworldson

Since signing with Inpop
Records in 2007, Newworldson has garnered two JUNO Award nominations for
Gospel Album of The Year and 18 GMA Canada Covenant Award nominations,
including two wins for Roots Album of The Year and one each in the
categories of Best New Artist and Group of the Year. The band claimed a
No. 1 music video on the Gospel Music Channel with “Working Man,” while
earning a guest spot on newsboys’ wildly popular “GO” tour, as well as
invitations to headline festivals in Australia, Germany, Holland and
Sweden. Its national debut, Salvation Station, additionally elicited unanimous critical acclaim, hailed as GRAMMY-worthy by industry trade publication Christian Retailing
and praised by AllMusic.com as “one of 2008’s most enjoyable,
well-written albums.” The band’s sophomore self-titled project was
released February 2010, producing Newworldson’s first radio hit, “There
Is A Way,” which topped the Canadian Christian Radio Charts and peaked
at No. 2 on the Radio & Records Christian AC Monitored &
Indicator charts.04 – There is a Way – Newworldson – clip

Sparrow*David C. Cook/EMI

Starfield

The Saving One

The Saving One

Canadian worship band,
Starfield, has spent the last 10 years partnering with churches and
ministries, leading students and congregations in passionate and
energetic worship. They released their self-titled major label debut in
2004, followed by Beauty in the Broken (2006), I Will Go (2008) and The Saving One
(2010). Starfield-penned songs like “Filled With Your Glory,” “Son of
God,” and “Reign In Us” are sung in church services every weekend all
over the world. Starfield is the best-selling Christian band in Canada
and are expanding their following in the U.S., United Kingdom, and
Europe with yearly concert tours and conference appearances. Ministry
partnerships with the Billy Graham Association, Dare2Share, and Youth
Specialties have helped Starfield grow beyond the confines of the music
industry and more directly into partnerships with the local Church.01 – The Saving One – Starfield – clip

The Rumba Foundation

The Rumba Foundation

In 2001 Cook won his first JUNO Award in the Best Instrumental Album of the Year category for Free Fall. Again, he was nominated in 2008 for two JUNO Awards for his 2007 release Frontiers (World Music Album of the Year) and for the incredible DVD One Night at the Metropolis
(Music DVD of the Year), which captures a spectacular concert during
the 2006 Montréal Jazz Festival. International demand for Jesse has
risen dramatically over the last year. In 2008, Cook travelled
extensively performing at the Singapore Sun Festival, headlining the
Dubai Jazz Festival, selling out a performance in Kuala Lumpur and
performing in London and Dublin. 2009 has already seen Cook play in
Poland, with plans to perform in Italy, Malta and Turkey later this year
and return to London, Dublin and Poland!01 – Bogota by Bus – Jesse Cook – clip

Tamba*Independent

Mighty Popo

Gakondo

Gakondo

You could say that the Mighty
Popo is a Rwandan/Burundian refugee/survivor whose music is steeped in
African tradition, but you’d hardly be getting at the whole story of one
of Canada’s greatest respected musicians, or account for his effortless
musicality as a member of the 2004 JUNO Award-winning African Guitar
Summit. He’s received kudos for his genre-busting solo work, and his
highlight performance at the Canadian edition of Bob Geldof’s
international Live 8 concerts (one of the few chosen for EMI’s Live 8
DVD). His latest album Gakondo, means origins or tradition, and
on this album Popo has taken a journey to his Rwandan roots. Three
ancient musical expressions intertwine to create the sound of the
country of a thousand hills. Long ago, Intwatwa songs of the Batwa
people mixed with powerful rhythmic Bahutu soundscapes and Batutsi
pastoral melodies to form one dynamic musical tradition. Mighty Popo is
someone to watch – in Canada and around the world.01 – Gakondo – Mighty Popo – clip

Six Degrees*Universal

Pacifika

Supermagique

Supermagique

For a generation of
musicians that has now grown up with world music, a truly global pop
music was just a matter of time. And for the trio Pacifika, “eventually”
means now. The trio’s debut album, 2008’s Asuncion, introduced their artful blend of indie rock, bossa nova, Afropop, and dub production. With the new Supermagique,
Pacifika have refined that sound – a multilingual, listener-friendly
music that marries languid Latin rhythms to a deep dance groove, and
offers a high-gloss sheen with some surprisingly sharp edges. Pacifika’s
global fusion works precisely because it is not a fusion. There is no
sense of trying to blend one thing with another; this is the work of
three musicians, coming from Peruvian, North American, and Barbadian
families, for whom rock, Latin, Caribbean, hip hop, and jazz are all
part of a single international musical language – a kind of musical
Esperanto. Singer Silvana Kane is from Peru; guitarist Adam Popowitz is
from Canada; bassist Toby Peter grew up in Barbados. Using Vancouver as a
base, they have created music that reflects their shared interests in
Western pop and the traditions of South America, West Africa, and the
Far East.09 – Doce Meses – Pacifika – clip

Curura*Select

Roberto López Project

Soy Panamericano

Soy Panamericano

Born in Bogotá,
Colombia, Roberto moved to Montréal to pursue his studies in Jazz
performance and composition at Concordia University. After playing with
many diverse artists, he created the Roberto López Project in the Fall
2005, a polycultural orchestra presenting his original compositions.
With two albums under the belt, acclaimed critics and many shows,
Roberto takes us through some adventurous fusions of tradition and
modernity, in what he describes as Nu-Afro-Latin. The project captures
the essence of traditional Latin rhythms in an urban and contemporary
environment, encompassing styles such as Cumbia-Funk, Urban-Mambo,
Latin-Soul, Colombian Currulao, Colombian Porro Pelayero, and 70’s Salsa
Dura… all mixed in the unique Lopezian style. Band members include
talented musicians and singers from various parts of the Americas
(Colombia, El Salvador, Cuba, Mexico, Québec and New-Brunswick).
Awarded the prestigious Artiste Révélation Radio-Canada 2010-2011,
nominated Best World Music Album at the GAMIQ (Quebec Indie Awards)
and World Music Artist of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards.
The album has been on the Top 10 charts in university and community
radio stations across Canada, Colombia and Spain, hitting the No. 1
position several times.02 – Soy Panamericano – Roberto Lopez Project – clip

JACK RICHARDSON PRODUCER OF THE YEAR (SPONSORED BY SLAIGHT MUSIC)

Sonovox*F.A.B.

Arcade Fire (co-producer Markus Dravs)

“Ready To Start” , “We Used To Wait – THE SUBURBS – Arcade Fire

“Ready To Start” , “We Used To Wait – THE SUBURBS – Arcade Fire

The
suburbs have always spawned poets who flee to the world’s great cities.
Montréal’s Arcade Fire, however, return to the landscapes of their
youth and return with The Suburbs: songs that draw on themes of
loss and renewal, of drawing inspiration from scarcity, of generations
past and future, of responsibility and maturity, of hoping that
something pure can last. The Suburbs, like its namesake, revels
in open space, reflections on long drives, and contemplating
possibilities. Lyrics decrying wasted time, arms folded tight, and
cities with no children, are set to sparse pop, icy new wave epics,
anthemetic punk and lush balladry — all delivered with a breadth and
beauty that expands the palette of a band that has never settled for the
easy route out of town.13 – We Used To Wait – Arcade Fire – clip02 – Ready To Start – Arcade Fire- clip

Universal

Brian Howes

“Cha-Ching” , “Perfect” – THE SHOW MUST GO – Hedley

“Cha-Ching” , “Perfect” – THE SHOW MUST GO – Hedley

Songwriter-singer,
producer, multi-instrumentalist, A&R professional and studio owner –
the Vancouver-based Brian Howes’ name crops up repeatedly as a writer
and producer on massive hit recordings by Hinder, Daughtry, David Cook,
Puddle of Mudd, Boys Like Girls and Hedley, among others. In 2007 Brian
won a JUNO Award for Producer of the Year. Howes produced Hedley’s 2009
hit “Perfect” and the penned/produced hits “Cha-Ching” and “Don’t Talk
to Strangers.” Howes looks forward to adding to his impressive resume
with more exciting projects.01 – Cha-Ching – Hedley – clip08 – Perfect – Hedley – clip

One
of the most distinctive and celebrated producers of his time, Daniel
Lanois is also a gifted composer and solo artist; whether performing his
own material or helming records for the likes of U2, Bob Dylan, and
Peter Gabriel, the hallmarks of his singular aesthetic remained the
same. Noted for his unparalleled atmospheric sensibilities, Lanois
pursued emotional honesty over technical perfection, relying on vintage
equipment and unorthodox studio methods to achieve a signature sound
both viscerally powerful and intricately beautiful. He was born
September 19, 1951 in Hull, Québec; his French-Canadian family was
firmly rooted in music, with his mother a singer and both his father and
grandfather noted for their prowess on the violin. Following his
parents’ 1963 separation, Lanois and his mother moved to the
English-speaking suburbs of Hamilton, ON; there he learned to play
guitar, and with his brother, Robert, began making primitive home
recordings on a cheap cassette player. In 1970, the siblings purchased a
four-track machine, setting up a recording studio in the laundry room
of their home and offering their services to local bands for a 60-cent
fee.06 – Hitchhiker – Neil Young – clip02 – I Believe In You – Black Dub – clip

To
say that everything David Foster touches turns to gold — and usually
platinum — would be an understatement. This stunningly talented
producer and songwriter is a 15-time Grammy Award winner with an
unprecedented 44 nominations, a recipient of seven JUNO Awards, an Emmy
Award in 2004 and a three-time Oscar nominee, all over the course of
four extraordinarily successful decades. In 2007 he was inducted into
the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. He has worked with the biggest and
best talents in the music industry, including Barbra Streisand, Josh
Groban, Céline Dion, Whitney Houston, Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé,
Madonna, N’Sync, The Corrs, Natalie Cole, and many more. The good news
for the music industry and his followers is that he’s just getting
started.08 – Secret – Seal – clip02 – Bring Me To Life – Katherine Jenkins – clip

Cold Snap*Universal

Gavin Brown & Sarah Harmer

“Captive” , “New Loneliness” OH LITTLE FIRE – Sarah Harmer

“Captive” , “New Loneliness” OH LITTLE FIRE – Sarah Harmer

Gavin
“Golden” Brown is a Canadian musician and record producer. He has
produced material for Three Days Grace, Thousand Foot Krutch, The Midway
State, Billy Talent, Cancer Bats, Thornley, The Reason, The Tea Party,
Danny Michel, Out of Your Mouth, Ryan Malcolm, Sarah Harmer, and
Stereos. Brown also plays drums, bass and guitar, and has appeared on
recordings by Big Sugar, Hayden, Crash Vegas, Skydiggers, Spookey Ruben,
Jim Cuddy, Phleg Camp, Betty Moon, Andrew Walker and Lifelike Weeds.
Some of his projects have gone gold and platinum in both Canada and the
U.S. He was also awarded the Jack Richardson Producer of the Year JUNO
Award in 2004, for the Billy Talent and Three Days Grace albums.02 – Captive – Sarah Harmer – clip03 – New Loneliness – Sarah Harmer – clip

David
Travers-Smith is a Toronto-based producer/engineer and musician. He
has produced and/or engineered recordings for numerous artists including
The Wailin’ Jennys, Jane Siberry, Oh Susanna, Oliver Schroer, Luke
Doucet, Jayme Stone, Jim Byrnes, Kevin Breit and many more. Recordings
he has produced and/or engineered have garnered 26 JUNO Award
nominations, including eight wins. Additionally, projects in which he
has had a major role have won awards at The Maple Blues, Western
Canadian Music, American Folk Alliance, American Indie Music, Canadian
Folk Music and East Coast Music Awards. He was nominated as Engineer of
the Year at the 2007 JUNO Awards for his work on The Wailin’ Jennys Firecracker CD. In 2009, two CDs he produced and/or engineered have won JUNO Awards: Jayme Stone’s Africa to Appalachia and Old Man Luedecke’s Proof of Love;
and he was nominated for Producer of the Year at the Canadian Folk
Music Awards in 2009. His work has been featured in the publications EQMag, Recording Magazine and Canadian Musician and he has toured extensively as a trumpet player with Jane Siberry and Oliver Schroer.03 – Vinicius – Jayme Stone – clip02 – Cold Outside – Ruth Moody – clip

Quinlan Road*Universal, Antoinette*Universal

Jeff Wolpert

“On A Bright May Morning” THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE
BARLEY – Loreena McKennitt, “Midnight Train to Georgia” SOUL BALLADS –
David Clayton-Thomas

“On A Bright May Morning” THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE
BARLEY – Loreena McKennitt, “Midnight Train to Georgia” SOUL BALLADS –
David Clayton-Thomas

“Let It Die” , “Life Won’t Wait” SCREAM – Ozzy Osbourne

“Let It Die” , “Life Won’t Wait” SCREAM – Ozzy Osbourne

After
spending years in Switzerland under the tutelage of world-renowned
producer, Mutt Lange, Kevin Churko has emerged as one of the music
industry’s leading engineers/producers in his own right. Canadian-bred
but currently residing in Las Vegas where he works out of his private
studio, “The Hideout,” Churko has worked with some of the biggest names
in music, including Shania Twain, Ringo Starr, Britney Spears and The
Corrs and Hinder. He also co-wrote and co-produced Ozzy Osbourne’s
latest two albums, Black Rain and Scream, which produced two U.S. Rock No. 1 singles.04 – Life Won’t Wait – Ozzy Osbourne – clip01 – Let It Die – Ozzy Osbourne – clip

Cold Snap*Universal

Lenny De Rose

“Captive” , “Late Bloomers” OH LITTLE FIRE – Sarah Harmer

“Captive” , “Late Bloomers” OH LITTLE FIRE – Sarah Harmer

Lenny
DeRose is a veteran studio engineer and music producer who has been
credited on several recordings dating back to the early 1980s. As an
engineer, he has been credited for his work on several motion picture
soundtracks, including Naked in New York and 9½ Weeks,
among others. DeRose has been nominated for several JUNO Awards for his
work, and has produced every recording released by The Philosopher
Kings. In 1995, he received the Recording Engineer of the Year award for
his work with the band.07 – Late Bloomer – Sarah Harmer – clip02 – Captive – Sarah Harmer – clip

Island*Universal , Jive*Sony

Mike Plotnikoff

“What Do You Got?” GREATEST HITS: THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION – Bon Jovi , “Break” LIFE STARTS NOW – Life Starts Now

“What Do You Got?” GREATEST HITS: THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION – Bon Jovi , “Break” LIFE STARTS NOW – Life Starts Now

Producer/mixer/engineer
Mike Plotnikoff has had a hand in some of the biggest and most
important rock albums of the past two decades. Mike began his career
engineering albums from seminal rock bands like Aerosmith, Van Halen,
Kiss and the Scorpions. But it wasn’t long before Mike took on the role
of mixer as well, mixing albums for The Cranberries, Delerium, Yes and
Motley Crue. In the early 2000’s Mike began engineering and mixing
projects with Grammy-nominated producer Howard Benson, starting with the
breakout album, Satellite, from P.O.D. The collaboration
between Benson and Plotnikoff has since lead to some of the most
successful albums of the past decade including albums by Daughtry, Kelly
Clarkson, Papa Roach, Flyleaf, All American Rejects, My Chemical
Romance, Theory of A Deadman and Three Days Grace. As Mike’s career has
progressed he has also come into his own producing albums by Drowning
Pool, Noise Therapy and the hugely successful album 15, by Buck Cherry.02 – Break – Three Days Grace – clip01 – What Do You Got_ – Bon Jovi – clip

RECORDING PACKAGE OF THE YEAR

Land of Talk*Secret City/EMI

Corri-Lynn Tetz (Art Director)

Cloak and Cipher LAND OF TALK

Cloak and Cipher LAND OF TALK

Art
Director Corri-Lynn Tetz grew up inspired by tornados, wood paneling,
horses and heavy metal ballads. She received a diploma of Art and Design
from Red Deer College and later moved to Vancouver, BC, to receive a
BFA from Emily Carr College. After several shows at the Bjornson
Kajiwara Gallery Corri-Lynn relocated to Montréal where she currently
lives and works. Her paintings have been featured in the Magenta
foundations publication, Carte Blanche and can be seen on the cover of the Besnard Lakes’ Besnard Lakes are the Dark Horse, as well as their most recent release Besnard Lakes are the Roaring Night.
Her work has also been included in several albums for A Silver Mount
Zion and most visibly, the front and back covers of Land of Talk’s
recent release Cloak and Cipher. Aside from painting,
Corri-Lynn can now also be seen on stage performing back-up vocals
alongside Land of Talk’s Elizabeth Powell.

EMI

Graeme Patterson (Art Director)

New Inheritors WINTERSLEEP

New Inheritors WINTERSLEEP

Originating
from Saskatoon, now living in Halifax Graeme Patterson’s practice stems
from a self developed approach to creating stop-motion animation. This
“do it yourself” method is consistent in all facets of his production.
Since graduating from NSCAD in 2002, his projects can be described as
sculptural installations consisting of video, robotics, audio, music,
and some interactive components. Generally he works in miniature using a
1:10 scale which originates from childhood. His installations attempt
to bring the viewer in to the world of play Graeme exists in while
creating his stop-motion animations. From 2004- 2007 he created a large
body of work entitled “Woodrow.” This 10-piece installation
encompasses all aspects of his practice. All of his work is based on
personal memories and life experience with a mix of fantasy and
surrealism. Currently Graeme is working towards another 3-4 year project
focusing on finding and renewing his ties with a long lost friend from
his childhood. Much like “Woodrow” Graeme will be travelling and plans
to take temporary residence in Japan to create connections between his
memories and reality.

Hand Drawn Dracula*Outside

James Mejia (Art Director/Designer/Illustrator)

Mutant Message BY DIVINE RIGHT

Mutant Message BY DIVINE RIGHT

James
Mejia is a Toronto-based artist/designer. He has worked with many
diverse independent and major label artists including Feist, Great Big
Sea, Ron Sexsmith, Hawksley Workman, Greg Keelor, Luke Doucet, Great
Lake Swimmers, Wintersleep and Holy F**k. James received a 2006 JUNO
Award nomination for CD Artwork Design Of The Year, won a 2006 COAST
Award for Best Album Artwork, and won The 7th Annual REELWORLD Film
Festival Award for Best Music Video 2007 (Wintersleep’s Jaws of Life).
Centered around the psychedelic song writing of Jose Contreras, By
Divine Right’s line-up was ever evolving. Ranging between tight pop
perfection and all-out noise hysteria, the line up bolstered the talent
of some later year musical crusaders such as Broken Social Scene’s
Brendan Canning and Feist, members of The Meligrove Band, and Holy
F**k’s Brian Borcherdt. Mutant Message is By Divine Right’s first new record in five years and is quite possibly their best yet.

Forgiveness Rock Record Vinyl Box Set

Forgiveness Rock Record Vinyl Box Set

The artwork for Broken Social Scene’s Forgiveness Rock Record
was largely the creation of drummer Justin Peroff, who worked closely
with California-based artist and friend Joe McKay to develop the collage
featured on the cover, an expression of unity and change inspired by
global thinking. Justin then brought the artwork to Canada where he and
Arts & Crafts in-house designer Robyn Kotyk collaborated on creating
the custom box set, which consists of seven beautifully coloured
10-inch vinyl pieces, each holding two songs from the record. Justin has
always played a prominent role in developing the BSS aesthetic and
artwork for the albums, and working with the JUNO Award-nominated Kotyk,
helped to create a must-have item for BSS fans around the world.
Visually, texturally and sonically vibrant, the Forgiveness Rock Record
vinyl box set is a tremendous accomplishment in the creation of an item
that is at once overwhelmingly captivating to the eye and
unquestionably compelling to the ear.

The Suburbs ARCADE FIRE

The Suburbs ARCADE FIRE

Vincent Morisset
Vincent Morisset describes his work as “cinematic interactivity.”
Filmmaker, programmer, inventor, Vincent is looking for new ways to tell
stories (interactive videos, Bicolorama, PianoAnimations, etc.). Creativity Magazine, Shots and Boards all
selected Vincent in its 2008 directors to watch list. Vincent is
considered as a pioneer in interactive music videos. For the album The Suburbs,
Vincent developed the Synchronised Artwork concept. Pushing the
possibilities of digital artwork into new territories with contextual
visuals, hyperlinks and synchronised lyrics. Vincent was nominated twice
for JUNO Awards, for Music Video of the Year (Neon Bible) and Music DVD of the year (MIROIR NOIR).Caroline Robert
Caroline Robert is a graphic designer and illustrator from Lyon. She
moved to Montreal in 2007 to study etching. In 2008, Caroline presented
Faits du meme bois, a solo exhibition at Illustre Gallery. She also
worked for music artists: Arcade Fire, Sigur Ros, Jean Leloup, Emilie
Simon, Louis Lortie and Avec Pas d’casque. She designed the artwork for
Arcade Fire’s MIROIR NOIR, and The Suburbs, including eight different covers. Caroline is currently working on Spike Jonze’s upcoming project.

VIDEO OF THE YEAR (SPONSORED BY VEVO)

Arts & Crafts*EMI

Adam Makarenko & Alan Poon (Makapoon) BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE

Forced to Love

Forced to Love

Makapoon consists of one
part Adam Makarenko, one part Alan Poon, a semi-sweet elixir known for
its powerful aroma and ability to cause temporary psychosis and/or
hysteria. To be consumed in small doses. Makarenko and Poon formed the
directing duo known as Makapoon in 2010. They both got into making music
videos back in 2008, when Poon directed a stop-motion music video for
the Bowerbirds for a song called “In Our Talons.” For the Bowerbirds
video, Makarenko hand-crafted all the sets and was the cinematographer.
A few years later, Makarenko was approached by the band Zeus, who were
fascinated by his photography. They asked him to make a music video for
them. Makarenko invited Poon on board and it was at this point they
formed Makapoon.

Collect Call

Collect Call

Christopher Mills is best
known for his video work for Modest Mouse, The Tragically Hip, The
Secret Machines, and Interpol–combining live action with animation in a
style he describes as, “Rumpled Country Art Doctor Antiques Lover Who
Thinks Out Of The Box Yet Imagines Vast Worlds Inside It.” In addition
to music videos and commercials, Christopher has created visual work for
the Art Gallery of Ontario as well as for The Tragically Hip’s stadium
concert tour in 2005. He created and directed, “Macroscopic,” a
47-minute experimental documentary about The Tragically Hip that was
included in their 20-year retrospective, Hipeponymous, released
in late 2005. Christopher has received many awards for his music
video work, including a JUNO Award for 2008 Video of the Year for Blue
Rodeo’s “C’mon” and Best Breakthrough Video for Modest Mouses’ “Float
On” in 2004. His 2006 mixed-media commercial for Hewlett-Packard, called
:Crazy Town,” was his first U.S. commercial. Christopher lives in
Toronto.

Universal

Kyle Davison HEDLEY

Perfect

Perfect

Kyle Davison began his career
photographing birds for the Huber-Penrose Field Naturalist Birding Club
of South Western Ontario. His candid nest shots of the Plumbeous Vireo
caught the attention of Dr. Ronald Belnick Sr., an avid bird watcher and
father of the now deceased Ronald Belnick Jr., then drummer for
controversial death metal band My Dad Secretly Fu*ks Birds. Ronald Sr.
reached out to Kyle via birdingpal.com and asked if he would photograph
and direct a music video for his son’s band. The track was called “I
Wear Giant Bird Costumes So Dad Will Pay Attention To Me.” Kyle agreed.
Unfortunately the video was terrible and ruined the band before they
could get started. Kyle continues to make music videos.

WEA*Warner

Michael Maxxis BILLY TALENT

Saint Veronika

Saint Veronika

The 2010 MuchMusic
Director of the Year, Michael Maxxis has made a quick and commanding
insurgence into the music video scene with his original, raw, and purist
style. His passion for shooting on film and achieving visual effects in
camera has created an identity that stands on its own. Recent credits
include videos for Billy Talent, Hot Hot Heat, Three Days Grace,
Alexisonfire, Ours, P.O.D., Jimmy Gnecco, Cradle of Filth, and The
Heavy. Michael has also achieved international critical acclaim with his
short film Steak and Milk which has screened at festivals around the world. Steak and Milk was followed by 8 for Infinity, starring Jimmy Gnecco and David Carradine. 8 for Infinity will be hitting the festival circuit in 2011.

MUSIC DVD OF THE YEAR

This Movie is Broken

This Movie is Broken

One of Canada’s
pre-eminent cult fimmakers, Bruce McDonald is infamous for his comment
that he’d buy “a big chunk of hash” with the money he won at the Toronto
International Film Festival for his debut feature Roadkill. Anyone who’s seen one of his films knows that he wasn’t joking. Roadkill was followed by the other two films in his Road Trilogy, Hard Core Logo and Highway 61. In between executive producing and directing the television series Twitch City and directing for shows like Queer as Folk, Degrassi: The Next Generation, The Tournament and This is Wonderland, McDonald also directed the films Dance Me Outside, Picture Claire, Claire’s Hat, The Love Crimes of Gillian Guess, The Tracey Fragments, Pontypool and This Movie is Broken. His most recent film, Trigger, premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival.

The Lost Tapes

The Lost Tapes

Christopher Mills is
best known for his video work for Modest Mouse, The Tragically Hip, The
Secret Machines, and Interpol–combining live action with animation in a
style he describes as, “Rumpled Country Art Doctor Antiques Lover Who
Thinks Out Of The Box Yet Imagines Vast Worlds Inside It.” In addition
to music videos and commercials, Christopher has created visual work for
the Art Gallery of Ontario as well as for The Tragically Hip’s stadium
concert tour in 2005. He created and directed, “Macroscopic,” a
47-minute experimental documentary about The Tragically Hip that was
included in their 20-year retrospective, Hipeponymous, released
in late 2005. Christopher has received many awards for his music
video work, including a JUNO Award for 2008 Video of the Year for Blue
Rodeo’s “C’mon” and Best Breakthrough Video for Modest Mouses’ “Float
On” in 2004. His 2006 mixed-media commercial for Hewlett-Packard,
called: Crazy Town,” was his first U.S. commercial. Christopher lives in
Toronto.

Columbia*Sony

Jean Lamoureux, Julie Snyder CELINE DION

Céline-Tournée Mondiale Taking Chances Le Spectacle

Céline-Tournée Mondiale Taking Chances Le Spectacle

Celine -Tournee Mondiale Taking Chances Le Spectacle
is the exclusive French version filmed live in Québec. The U.S. edition
features only her English language songs, performed throughout all of
North America. La Tournee Mondiale Taking Chances Le Spectacle,
showcases Céline’s inspiring dedication to creating a stage experience
like no other. The DVD/CD offers another chance to experience the
magical event, this time from a vantage point unparalleled by any ticket

The Virtual Haydn

The Virtual Haydn

Jeremy Tusz is a
Montréal-based recording engineer, editor, and video producer
specializing in classical music. He splits his time between
CD/SACD/BluRay Audio album production, and promotional and educational
video production for musicians and record labels. The Virtual Haydn (Playing the Room)
is his first full-length documentary on a screenplay by Robert J. Litz.
Jeremy works with artists and groups such as Lara St. John, Jens
Lindemann, Alain Lefèvre, Angèle Dubeau, Kent Nagano and l’Orchestre
Symphonique de Montréal, The National Youth Orchestra of Canada, Les
Violons du Roi, l’Ensemble Caprice, and The Knights. His work can be
heard on recordings for labels such as Analekta, Ancalagon, Azica,
Marquis Classics, Naxos, Sony Classical, Virgin Classics, and XXI. He
has credits on 10 JUNO Award-nominated recordings (three wins), a
MIDEM-nominated recording, an Echo Klassik-winning recording, and many
ADISQ-nominated and winning recordings. Jeremy has a background in
violin and viola performance and is a graduate of the McGill University
Schulich School of Music Masters of Music in Sound Recording program
(2006).

Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage

Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage

Rush is
one of rock’s most influential bands, ranking third for most gold and
platinum albums behind The Beatles and Rolling Stones. But despite
having legions of devoted fans and being revered by generations of
musicians, they have been ignored by critics and continually overlooked
by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Featuring never-before-seen archival
footage and interviews with some of today’s most respected rock
artists, Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage explores the 40-year career and phenomenon behind what could be the world’s biggest cult band.

ELECTRONIC ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Caribou Merge*F.A.B.

Caribou

Swim

Swim

Swim is Caribou’s
masterpiece and the record Dan Snaith has wanted to bring to fruition
for as long as he has been making music. Snaith has been a leading
figure in electronic music over the past decade. A mathematics scholar
and ingenious multi-instrumentalist/composer, he surprised critics and
fans with 2007’s Andorra, a brilliant, electro-tinged pop breakthrough. After the startling infectiousness of Andorra, Swim
is a more complex, multi-layered affair—rife with fascinating rhythms,
instrumentation, and vocals that become more alluring with each listen.
“This is the record I’m most proud of because it’s the most ‘me’ in the
way things sound; I feel like I have my own vocabulary now,” says
Snaith. “So much of contemporary music is soaked in referencing this or
that. I wanted people to put the record on and not be able to say, ‘This
sounds like so-and-so.’ I want people to say, ‘This sounds like Dan!’
It’s what everybody wants—to have their fingerprint on the music they’re
making. I feel like I’ve achieved that to a greater extent than I have
in the past, and that’s exciting.”01 – Odessa – Caribou – clip

Arts & Crafts*EMI

Chilly Gonzales

Ivory Towers

Ivory Towers

The question Who is Chilly
Gonzales? elicits various answers: Berlin underground prankster rapper,
workaholic Grammy-nominated producer, melancholic piano virtuoso or
Guinness World Record holder. And now: Ivory Tower writer,
composer, actor and producer. Gonzales left Canada for Berlin in 1998.
Daft Punk, Bjork remixes did him well, but it wasn’t enough. So on to
Paris, and collaborations with Feist on her Let It Die and The Reminder. Solo Piano
then became Gonzales’ own best-selling album, introducing him to an
audience that actually buys music. The piano pieces were used in films
too, but to fully satisfy his insatiable ambition, only one thing was
left to do and he did it: Gonzales broke he Guinness World Record for
longest solo concert with 27 hours of piano. But Gonzales didn’t stop
there. Most recently, his track “Never Stop” from the new album Ivory Tower, was chosen as the music for Apple’s worldwide iPad campaign.07 – Never Stop – Chilly Gonzales – clip

Last Gang*Universal

Crystal Castles

Crystal Castles (II)

Crystal Castles (II)

Crystal Castles is
an experimental electronic music band from Toronto, ON, consisting of
producer Ethan Kath and vocalist Alice Glass. Crystal Castles are known
for their chaotic live shows and their lo-fi home productions. The duo
have released many vinyl EPs between 2006–2007 and also two eponymous
albums, in 2008 and 2010 respectively. The band’s debut album was
included in the “Top 50 Greatest Albums of the Decade” by NME Magazine, at number 39. The band’s second album, also titled Crystal Castles but known as Crystal Castles II, was in 2010. An early mix of the album leaked reached No. 1 on various electronic music charts worldwide.02 – Celestica – Crystal Castles – clip

Lights Music*Universal

Holy Fuck

Latin

Latin

Six years ago, Graham Walsh and
Brian Borcherdt started Holy Fuck, a chaotic live celebration of lo-fi
noise and casio-driven rock. With a rotating rhythm section of close
friends and multi-talented players, they were called “Toronto’s evil
super group.” One of their first shows, at Pop Montréal, New York-based
MC, and ex-Antipop Consortium member Beans was so impressed with their
unique take on electronic music that he invited them to Coachella as his
backing band. A heavy hitting live act, with a devoted audience of
cultish fans and new comers drawn by their reputation, they’ve toured
with Do Make Say Think, !!!, Clinic, Wolf Parade, Cornelius, Metric,
MIA, A Place To Bury Strangers and Mouse on Mars. They’ve also made
appearances at renowned festivals like Vegoose, All Tomorrow’s Parties,
Montréal Jazz, SXSW, and CMJ. Sequestering themselves in a converted
barn in Northern Ontario, Latin, produced by member Graham Walsh and
mixed by Dave Newfeld (BSS) and Paul Epworth (Adele), showcases their
permanent touring line up. Drummer Schulz and bass player McQuaid
provide a complex rhythm foundation that at times feels like an
invisible hand leading you through a dark hedge maze.03 – Latin America – Holy Fuck – clip

Ninja Tune*Outside

Poirier

Running High

Running High

Drawing from a wide range
of tropical riddims and urban electro, the power of Montréal-based
DJ/producer Poirier’s bass blasts through any flimsy attempt to classify
his music. Pinpointing the bits and pieces of dancehall beats, soca
energy and electronic intensity is futile in the face of Poirier’s
dance-driven creativity and air horn-worthy excitement. Signed to Ninja
Tune, this is a man who just understands what works in the dance.04 – 90′s Backyard – Poirier – clip